Turkish Military in Iraq & Syria

An internally displaced Kurdish family in northern Iraq, 2016 (Maranie R. Staab)

Belligerent
Turkish Military
Country
Iraq
start date
end date
Civilian Harm Status
Belligerent Assessment
Declassified Documents
Infrastructure

Incident Code

TI088

Incident date

October 16, 2022

Location

برادوست, Bradost area, Erbil, Iraq

Airwars assessment

At least one civilian, a woman, was injured by alleged Turkish airstrikes or drone strikes on the Bradost area in northern Erbil province on October 16, 2022.

Kurdistan 24 reported that a 30 year old woman named Sharmin Asad was injured by Turkish airstrike in the Bradost area in northern Erbil province. Ihsan Chalabi, the mayor of Sidakan, told Kurdistan 24 that the injured woman is from Sideman district and she was in the area visiting her relatives. She was transferred to the hospital and is receiving medical treatment, and her condition is stable.

BasNews specified that the drone strikes affected the Robi and Riwall resorts of Sidakan subdistrict, which the injured woman Sharmin was visiting. Rudaw News reported that the woman had been hit by shrapnel from a shell and that he injury was light.

All of the sources that reported on the incident attributed the injury to Turkish forces, referring to both airstrikes or drone strikes.

The incident occured at approximately 12:30 pm local time.

The victims were named as:

Sharmin Asad
30 years old female injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • Alleged Turkish airstrikes on the Bradost area in northern Erbil province on October 16, 2022. (Image posted by Kurdistan24)

Turkish Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Turkish Military
  • Turkish Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI010

Incident date

September 20, 2017

Location

دهوك, Dohuk, Kurdistan, Iraq

Geolocation

36.865292, 42.991828 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

The Kurdistan Regional Government said that seven civilians were killed by Turkish airstrikes on Dohuk village.

Skyiraq reported: “The air strikes launched by the Turkish warplanes targeted areas in the province of Dohuk and killed seven civilians.”

The government said in a statement that while the citizens were going to do their work on their farms, the warplanes bombed those areas as they were targeting PKK positions.”

Rwa.adiona published a similar story.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    7
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Dohuk (دهوك), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.865292, 42.991828. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Turkish Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Turkish Military
  • Turkish Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    7
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI096

Incident date

September 27, 2023

Location

قرية بوگریسکان, Bugriskan village, Sinjar district, Bashdar district , Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraq

Airwars assessment

A woman was killed and a man injured by two drone strikes, allegedly conducted by the Turkish military, on the village of Bugriskan, in the Sinjar district on September 27th, 2023. The strikes were also reported to have killed six Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants.

Bas News reported that the casualties occurred in “two separate air attacks,” within 10 minutes of each other: the first at 11AM followed by a second at approximately 11:10. The first strike allegedly killed four PKK members, and, due to proximity, also inflicted the first civilian injury of Mirza Ibrahim. The second strike killed two further PKK members, and severely injured 50-year-old Esti Mohammad.

After the first strike injured villager Mirza Ibrahim, and Esti Mohammad, seeing the strike near her home, went to help him. She was severely injured in the second strike; she would later die of her injuries after having been transported to a hospital in Rania. Mirza was also taken to the hospital for recovery.

Esti was the mother of seven children. Born in Zanjilan, she had been a resident of Rania for several years. She had lived in Bugriskan for ten years, and worked breeding livestock. She was engaged in her community, and a committed activist against Turkish strikes in the region.

The incident occured between 11:00 am and 11:10 am local time.

The victims were named as:

Esti Muhammad استي محمد
50 years old female killed
Mirza Ibrahim ميرزا إبراهيم
Adult male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Suspected target
    YPG/SDF
  • Belligerents reported killed
    6

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Source: Roj News

Turkish Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Turkish Military
  • Turkish Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Suspected target
    YPG/SDF
  • Belligerents reported killed
    6

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI077

Incident date

February 15, 2022

Location

شيلادزي, Shiladze, Dohuk, Iraq

Geolocation

37.034762, 43.779316 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least one man was killed in alleged Turkish strikes near the town of Shiladze in Amedi district on February 15th 2022, according to local reports.

Hawar News quoted Roj News Agency, which reported that Hussain Haider (Hussein Rikani) was killed in Turkish bombings of the villages in the Shiladze district of Başûr.

North Press Agency reported that Haider, the civilian killed in the airstrikes, was a resident of the Siri complex in Shiladze district and was married and had ten children, according to press reports. Alyaum TV add that was found in the “Neroh and Rikan area” and that he was 50 years old.

The incident occured in the evening.

The victims were named as:

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Image of Hussain Haider (Hussein Rikani), killed in airstrikes on the Shiladze district of Başûr on February 15, 2022. (Image posted by @sheladze__)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the area of Shiladze (شيلادزي), for which the generic coordinates are: 37.034762, 43.779316. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Turkish Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Turkish Military
  • Turkish Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI089

Incident date

December 2, 2022

Location

جبل اسوس شارباجار, Mount Assos, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

Airwars assessment

At least one civilian was killed and up to five others were injured in alleged Turkish airstrikes/drone strikes on Mount Assos on December 2, 2022.

The mayor of Charbajar, Shaho Othman, told Kurdistan 24  that three people were wounded and three civilians were missing following Turkish airstrikes on Mount Assos. Kurdistan 24 later revised their casualty count to one person killed and two others wounded, adding that four people were hunting in the mountain and hiding in the cave of Kelashin when the strikes occurred and that one person is still missing.

Kurdistan Revolution posted on Facebook that a civilian named Aziz Muhammad Rasool who worked as a farmer was killed and two others were injured.

A tweet from @cptiraq reported that six civilians were victims of the bombing, with one civilian killed (Aziz Muhamed) and five others injured (Muhamad Kadir, Kwexa Muhamad, Zana Muhamad, Saeed Muhamad and Salih Kadir).

Roj News Agency, quoting the mayor of Mawat district Kamiran Hassan, reported that a group of civilians were collecting wild herbs in the village of Kalala when Turkish airstrikes hit. Mayor Kamiran Hassan told Rudaw News Network that one civilian was killed and one was injured from the bombing, and that the victims were from the village of Qamish. Medya News put the casualty toll at two civilians killed and three injured, adding that medial teams could not rescue them until late in the day because of fear of a second bombardment.

The majority of sources attributed the incident to Turkish forces, with Rudaw News pointing out that it was unknown whether the bombing was carried out by warplanes or drones.

The incident occured around midday.

The victims were named as:

Aziz Muhammad Rasool عزيز محمد رسول
Age unknown killed
Muhamad Kadir
Age unknown injured
Kwexa Muhamad
Age unknown injured
Zana Muhamad
Age unknown injured
Saeed Muhamad
Age unknown injured
Salih Kadir
Age unknown injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 2
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–5
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (10) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • Alleged strikes on Mount Assos on December 2, 2022. (Image posted by Kurdistan24)
  • Location of alleged Turkish drone strikes on December 2, 2022. (Image posted by @cptiraq)
  • One of the victims of the alleged Turkish strikes near Zarun village on December 2, 2022. (Image posted by @cptiraq)

Turkish Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Turkish Military
  • Turkish Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 2
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–5
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (10) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI024a IRI002

Incident date

July 10, 2019

Location

ديري, Dere, Erbil, Iraq

Geolocation

37.098683, 43.520804 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

One to two civilians, including an 18-year-old girl, were killed and up to four others injured in alleged Turkish or Iranian artillery strikes in the Bradost region of Iraqi Kurdistan on July 10th, 2019 according to local media reports.

Al-Monitor reported that Iranian artillery shelled the Sidakan border area in Erbil province on July 10th killing a civilian and wounding two others.

ANF said both Iran and Turkey carried out strikes in the area that resulted in the deaths of two civilians and injured four others.

Ihsan Chalabi, mayor of Sidakan town, told Al-Monitor: “On [July 10] at 12:10 p.m. local time, on grounds of targeting the Iranian opposition groups in the region, Iranian artillery shelled areas of Barbazin and Dere, and the villages of Dustanan, Zhuzhila and Talan. Unfortunately, a Kurdish girl named Zaitun Qadir, 18 years old, was martyred, and two of her brothers — Ali, 14 years, and Sirwan, aged 23, were severely injured.”

“The civilians were engaged with agricultural work in Dere village when the Islamic Republic of Iran’s artillery hit them. Consequently, all orchards and wild pastures burned and local citizens evacuated the area. We call on both Iran to halt shelling and the Iranian parties to not launch attacks on Iran from our area, for the sake of protecting civilian lives and their properties.”

Mr Chalabi said that Iran has haphazardly shelled the area from time to time, he insisted there were no clear headquarters and bases of Iranian opposition parties in the area.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Wednesday in a statement condemned the bombardment and said it “will not allow its border to be used for attacking and disrupting the security of neighbor countries.”

ANF reported that at 9 am the following day Iran and Turkey continued to bombard the Balakati and Bradost regions throughout the day with howitzers, mortars and katusha rockets aided by Iranian reconnaissance planes.

It was reported that whilst the villagers tried to extinguish the fires caused by the bombardments, hundreds of hectares of land was burnt.

EKurd Daily also reported that a girl was killed and her two brothers injured. According to the source, the Iranian army also shelled the villages of Kudo, Alana, and Gundzhor in Haji Omaran of Iraqi Kurdistan.

The incident occured at 12:10:00 local time.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

18 years old female killed
14 years old male Brother of Zaitun Qadir injured
23 years old male Brother of Zaitun Qadir injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 2
  • (1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–4
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attackers
    Iranian Military, Turkish Military

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • Iranian army shells Bradost sub-district in Iraqi Kurdistan, July 10, 2019. Photo: Screengrab/Rudaw TV
  • A picture showing what is said to be Iranian shelling of Iraqi Kurdistan, seen in an image uploaded July 11, 2019. - Twitter/@PDKIenglish

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Dere (ديري), for which the generic coordinates are: 37.098683, 43.520804. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Iranian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Iranian Military
  • Iranian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Turkish Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Turkish Military
  • Turkish Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 2
  • (1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–4
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attackers
    Iranian Military, Turkish Military

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI097

Incident date

October 7, 2023

Location

مخيم مخمور, Makhmur Camp, Erbil Governorate , Kurdistan, Iraq

Airwars assessment

On October 7th, 2023, a civilian was killed and at least three civilians—a woman and two boys— were injured after an alleged Turkish drone strike on the Makhmour Camp in the Erbil Governorate of the Iraqi Kurdistan region.

The woman, who remains unnamed, was reported to be 72-years-old (born in 1951), and appears to have received an injury to her arm or shoulder; images from sources corroborate this. One of the boys was reported to be 15 (born in 2008); images included show him with an oxygen mask and IV. The other boy, who appears to be younger, was pictured receiving medical care to his leg. Rudaw Media Network reported that one other civilian was killed, but this was not corroborated elsewhere, and no identifying details of this victim were made public. Those injured were housed in the second section of the camp.

The strike occurred at 7:05 pm, according to Rudaw, and hit the camp mosque during the evening prayer. Rashad Kalali, the deputy official of Kurdish political party Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, was reported by Rudaw as saying that there were rumors that PKK militants were inside the camp, which resulted in its targeting. These rumors, Kalali stressed, were not accurate.

The camp, which locals call the Martyr Rustam Cudi Camp, houses between 10,000 to 12,000 people, primarily Kurds displaced from neighboring Turkey.

The incident occured at 19:05:00 local time.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    IDP or refugee camp, Religious Institution
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ronahi.tv
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: ANF
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ronahi.tv
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ronahi.tv

Turkish Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Turkish Military
  • Turkish Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    IDP or refugee camp, Religious Institution
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI078

Incident date

May 21, 2022

Location

اأغجلر, Aghjalar, Sulaimani, Iraq

Geolocation

35.817025, 44.698458 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Street level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least two civilians were killed and at least one other civilian was injured in alleged Turkish drone strikes on the road near the village of Tutaqal in Aghjalar on May 21, 2022.

Rudaw News reported that two alleged Turkish drones struck a vehicle traveling in the subdistrict of Aghjalar killing five passengers, including at least two members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Rudaw News quoted the mayor of Aghjalar, Hemin Bahjat, who said “targeted a PKK base and a Toyota Hilux vehicle which carried four passengers who were all killed. According to initial reports, two of the passengers were locals while two others were PKK fighters.” The mayor later added that another person was killed in the attack and that “we could not confirm that there were PKK fighters inside the car, because all the five persons were burnt up”.

Various sources specifically identified the incident as occurring in Tutaqal village, Kurdistan24 adding that it is located “at the foothills of Khal Khalan”. Rudaw News also quoted a resident of Tutaqal village, Halo Zahir, who told Rudaw’s Rawchi Hassan that the vehicle belonged to the PKK. Images posted by Rudaw News show extensive damage to the pickup truck allegedly hit by Turkish drone strikes.

A citizen of the village of Tutaqal told Rudaw News that one of the people killed was named Aram Kaka Khan, who was from the people of Tutaqal, and the second citizen was called Ismael, who was from the village of (Jalamrda) in the borders of Ağcılar district.”

Segirt News reported that the civilians were killed when the came to provide assistance to the PKK fighters who were wounded in the initial bombing, and then all five were killed in the subsequent bombing.

A tweet from @cptiraq laid out the series of events that occurred: “On May 21st , the Turkish war planes bombed Tutaqal village of Aghjalar town at 5:15 a.m. At 9:00 a.m, the mukhtar of Tutaqal, Aram Haji Kaka Khan, and his brother-in-law Ismaeil Ibrahim, went to the area that was bombed earlier that morning. They found three injured PKK guerilla members at the bombing site. Aram tried to drive the injured people to the Aghjalar hospital. But the Turkish drones bombed his vehicle at 9:35 a.m., killing him, his brother-in-law, and the three guerilla members.”

Adil Majeed, relative of the victims, told The New Arab “Early today the Turkish drones were initially targeting some PKK fighters who were based in a rural jungle from Tutaqal village, then the drones were observing all cars in the area. It seems some of the PKK fighters were wounded and they sought help from civilian cars in a nearby road, consequently the drones attacked the pick-up car, and killed two of my cousins who were from working as farmers.” Majeed added that his two cousins were survivors of the 1988 Anfal genocide.

Head of Aghjalar district administration, Hemin Bahjat, told BasNews that “initial reports indicate that at least three of the killed were members of the PKK” and that there were “unconfirmed reports of destruction of a PKK military base near Dutaqal village of Aghjalar, in the vicinity of Chamchamal.” ANF quoted Roj News Agency, which reported that a civilian car was struck on the road between the villages of Tutaqal and Galmurd, resulting in the death of five civilians and another wounded.

A security source in Chamchamal confirmed to Hawar News that the bombing of the village led to the death of “5 citizens and the injury of another”. The source added that the bodies had been transferred to forensic medicine and their identifies had not been identified yet. Segirt quoted a forensic source in Chamchamal who told AFP “two bodies from the people of the Chamchamal area arrived at the city hospital, and then were transferred to the forensic medicine office in Sulaymaniyah.”

According to Rudaw, the official Turkish state news agency Anadolu Agency reported that one of the people killed was a HPG commander named Mehmet Dooganan, also known as ‘Dilxaz Gabar’.

All of the sources that reported on the incident attributed the drone strikes to Turkey. Kurdistan24 quoted a local sources that said that “Turkish drones are still flying over the area, which has also prevented Kurdish security forces from entering the area.”

The incident occured at approximately 9:00 am local time.

The victims were named as:

Aram Kaka Khan
Age unknown male killed
Ismaeil Ibrahim
Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 5
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Suspected target
    YPG/SDF
  • Belligerents reported killed
    2–3

Sources (18) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (11) [ collapse]

  • Map showing the location where the drone strikes occurred, published by Rudaw News
  • Destruction to a pickup truck caused by alleged Turkish drone strikes in Aghjalar on May 21, 2022. (Image posted by Rudaw News)
  • Destruction to a pickup truck caused by alleged Turkish drone strikes in Aghjalar on May 21, 2022. (Image posted by Rudaw News)
  • Destruction to a pickup truck caused by alleged Turkish drone strikes in Aghjalar on May 21, 2022. (Image posted by Rudaw News)
  • Destruction to a pickup truck caused by alleged Turkish drone strikes in Aghjalar on May 21, 2022. (Image posted by Rudaw News)
  • Destruction to a pickup truck caused by alleged Turkish drone strikes in Aghjalar on May 21, 2022. (Image posted by Rudaw News)
  • Smoke from the car struck by a drone in Aghjalar on May 21, 2022. (Image posted by Kurdistan24)
  • Two of the victims killed in alleged Turkish drone strikes on Chamchamal on May 21, 2022. (Image posted by @RebwarAhmad88)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention a vehicle struck on the road between the villages of Tutaqal (توتاقلي) and Galmurd (جلمورد). Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for the Tutaqal-Galmurd road are: 35.817025, 44.698458.

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Turkish Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Turkish Military
  • Turkish Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 5
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Suspected target
    YPG/SDF
  • Belligerents reported killed
    2–3

Sources (18) [ collapse]