Turkish Military in Iraq & Syria

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

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

Incident Code

TS489

Incident date

February 2, 2022

Location

تل تمر, Tel Tamr, Hassakah, Syria

Geolocation

36.703333, 40.401667 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least one child was injured in alleged Turkish shelling of the village of Tel Tamar on February 2, 2022.

A tweet from @me_delal, a Kurdish human right activist, reported that a child was wounded when Turkish forces shelled Tel Tamar.

Both @NPA_English and Athr Press also reported that Turkish forces shelled the village of Tel Tamar without providing any information on casualties.

No other information is available to Airwars at this time.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • 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
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • A child injured in alleged Turkish shelling of Tel Tamar on February 2, 2022. (Image posted by @me_delal)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Tal Tamr (تل تمر), for which the generic cooridnates are: 36.703333, 40.401667. 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
    Artillery
  • 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
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS515

Incident date

June 3, 2022

Location

قرية ام القرى, Um Al Qura village, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.380371, 37.228940 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between one and two civilians were injured in alleged Turkish shelling of the village of Um Al Qura on June 3, 2022.

According to North Press Agency, a displaced person from the village of Afraz was injured when Turkish forces bombed the village of Um Al Qura. The injured man’s house was damaged and the car parked in front of the house was also damaged.

A medical source from Afrin Hospital told North Press Agency that “Younis Mustafa Daoud, 33, was wounded by shrapnel in his back, which led to its stability in the abdomen. He is still undergoing surgery, and his condition is unstable.” Hawar News added that Daoud was later transferred to a hospital in Aleppo city.

Lîlav Ibrahîm posted on Facebook that in addition to Younis Daoud, his son was also injured in the same bombardment. Afrin Network also reported that a father and son were injured, identifying the age of the father to be 45 years old.

The incident occured in the evening.

The victims were named as:

33 years old male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • 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

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • Damage caused by the Turkish bombing of Um Al Qura village on June 3, 2022. (Image posted by Hawar News)
  • Man injured in alleged Turkish shelling of Um Al Qura village on June 3, 2022. (Image posted by Afrin Network)
  • Man injured in alleged Turkish shelling of Um Al Qura village on June 3, 2022. (Image posted by Afrin Network)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Um Al Qura (ام القرى), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.380371, 37.228940. 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
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • 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

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS541

Incident date

August 8, 2022

Location

قرية جديدة, Jadida village, Raqqa, Syria

Geolocation

36.531498, 38.821210 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least one civilian was injured in the alleged Turkish bombing of the village of Jadida on August 8, 2022.

According to a correspondent for Hawar News, a “citizen” named Farhan Muhammad Bashir, 26, was wounded by Turkish bombing of Ain Issa.

A Facebook post from Live voice specified that the bombing occurred in Jadida village and resulted in the injury of Farhan, adding that there were no other details available about his injury and his health condition.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Press Center added that Farhan works as a farmer and was transferred “to the hospital of the martyr “Omar Alloush” in the town of Ain Issa for treatment.”

All of the sources attributed the bombing Turkish forces, with the SDF Press Center specifying that the Turkish struck the village with artillery shells and tanks.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Farhan Muhammad Bashir
26 years old male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • 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 (6) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (6) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Graphic images of the wounds sustained by Farhan Muhammad Bashir, 26 years old, who was injured by alleged Turkish shelling of the village of Al Jadida on August 8, 2022. (Image posted by SDF Press)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Graphic images of the wounds sustained by Farhan Muhammad Bashir, 26 years old, who was injured by alleged Turkish shelling of the village of Al Jadida on August 8, 2022. (Image posted by SDF Press)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Graphic images of the wounds sustained by Farhan Muhammad Bashir, 26 years old, who was injured by alleged Turkish shelling of the village of Al Jadida on August 8, 2022. (Image posted by SDF Press)
  • Graphic images of the wounds sustained by Farhan Muhammad Bashir, 26 years old, who was injured by alleged Turkish shelling of the village of Al Jadida on August 8, 2022. (Image posted by Hawar News)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Jadida (جديدة), allegedly located in the western countryside of Ain Issa (بعين عيسى) district. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for Jadida are: 36.531498, 38.821210.

Turkish Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • 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 (6) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS568

Incident date

November 21, 2022

Location

بينة, Ibbin, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.46599, 36.99337 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Two people were reported “slightly” injured and tens of sheep were reportedly killed by Turkish shelling in Ibbin village, Sherawa district in Afrin, Syria on November 21st 2022.

According to North Press Agency and ANHA between 20 to 35 sheep were killed which were owned by Walida Hamadi.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Up to 35 sheep were reportedly killed by a Turkish missile on a village in Afrin on November 21st 2022 (Image via ANHA English)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Ibbin (بينة), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.46599, 36.99337. 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
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS598

Incident date

June 3, 2023

Location

الاصيلم, Al Asilem, Raqqa, Syria

Geolocation

36.401518, 39.190418 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Two civilians, including a woman, were injured by an alleged Turkish drone attack on farmland in Al Asilem village, near the M4 road and north of Raqqa on June 3, 2023.

Hawar News reported that a 35 year old woman named Houriya Ayed Al-Daher and her 45 year old husband named Hussein Hammoud Al-Muhammad were injured in the attack when working on farmland and taken to hospital to receive treatment. Additional local sources provided similar casualty information, attributing the drone strikes to Turkish drones, with multiple sources referring to “explosive-laden drones.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Hussein Hammoud Al-Muhammad
45 years old male injured
Houriya Ayed Al-Daher
35 years old female injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    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

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Hussein Hammoud Al-Muhammad, 45 years old, injured by alleged Turkish drone strikes on June 3, 2023. (Image posted by Hawar News)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Al Asilem (الاصيلم), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.401518, 39.190418. 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, Drone Strike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    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

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS626

Incident date

August 25, 2023

Location

قرية البركة, Al Baraka village, Hama, Syria

Airwars assessment

On 25 August 2023, a man and wife and their child were reportedly injured by a ‘terrorist’ mortar missile in the village of Al-Baraka, located in the north-western Hama countryside.

A Facebook post by a correspondent for Al Ghab valley in Hama reported that the injured child is 6 months old and that the family were transferred to a hospital in Hama in serious condition.

The source added that the mortar shells were launched by ‘terrorist groups’. This incident was among multiple which occurred on the same day, with other sources attributing similar incidents on this day to “Luwaa Uthman Ibn Affan” which is one of the formations of HTS (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham) and has been associated with Turkish forces.

No other sources were found reporting on this incident.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    3–1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (1) [ collapse]

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
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    3–1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS674

Incident date

December 28, 2023

Location

مركز غسيل الكلى, Dialysis Centre, Al Hasakah, Syria

Geolocation

37.054172, 41.262636 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Nearby landmark level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On December 28th, 2023, a 65 year-old kidney patient identified as Ahmed Abd al-Rahman Khadr reportedly died as he could not access treatment, following the reported destruction three days earlier of a dialysis center hit by alleged Turkish air or drone strikes in Qamishlo city.

Rojava TV and Ibrahim Sheikho described Ahmed Abd al-Rahman Khadr as a former kidney patient who had been sick for more than two years. Sources both said he was Syrian, born in 1958 in Amuda, Al-Jazira district, and died as he could not access treatment following the destruction of the dialysis center. Ibrahim Sheikho posted a picture of the alleged victim on Facebook. Rojava TV claimed that he had undergone three dialysis sessions in the last two years. It further stated that the dialysis center had prior to the attack capacity to treat 70 patients and was equipped with only one emergency room with one device to provide dialysis treatment. No information was available as to where the victim died.

Qamishlo puls on Facebook alongside other sources reported that on December 25th 2023, alleged Turkish bombing in Qamishlo resulted in putting the “only dialysis center out of service”. Al Hafel on Facebook posted a video showing the damage to the building and piles of rubble – the source further claimed that the Syrian Democratic Forces are using hospitals and schools, such as the dialysis center, as “headquarters”, and that these buildings are hit by alleged Turkish drone strikes. Multiple sources reported that the oxygen plant in Qamishlo was also destroyed by alleged Turkish strikes on December 25th, 2023.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Ahmed Abd al-Rahman Khadr أحمد عبد الرحمن خضر
65 years old male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Denial of access to/destruction of objects indispensable to survival
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Impact
    Healthcare
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (7) [ collapse]

  • Source: Qamishlo puls
  • Source: Ibrahim Sheikho
  • Source: Ibrahim Sheikho
  • Source: Ibrahim Sheikho
  • Source: Ibrahim Sheikho

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention an alleged strike on the Dialysis Centre (مركز غسيل الكلى), to the east of Qamishli (ٱلْقَامِشْلِي). As there is no information available as to where the victim died, the location accuracy for this incident is set to “nearby landmark”. The generic coordinates for the Dialysis Centre are: 37.054172, 41.262636.

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
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Denial of access to/destruction of objects indispensable to survival
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Impact
    Healthcare
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS141

Incident date

January 30, 2018

Location

جنديرس, Rajo, Afrin, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.67296, 36.666364 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Three civilians were wounded in an alleged Turkish airstrike on Rajo, local media reported. It should be noted that some sources reported this incident as Jindires, but Airwars spoke with the Kurdish Red Crescent which confirmed that this was a mistake and the location was in fact Rajo.

According to Manbij Military Council, “at 1400 hours on Tuesday, 30 January 2018, an air strike targeted a civilian vehicle in the town of Jenderes. Two men and a woman were injured in the car. According to a medical source from the hospital of Afrin, the Turkish airliner targeted a car parked on a street in Jenderes. The same source confirmed that the injury of the two men led to amputation of each hand while the injury of the woman led to amputation of both of her feet.”

The incident occured at 14:00:00 local time.

The victims were named as:

Madina Abdo
Age unknown female named by Rumaf injured
Mohamed Abdo Ali
Age unknown male named by Rumaf injured
Nasim Ali
Age unknown named by Rumaf injured

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • 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 (12) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (10) [ collapse]

  • Location of airstrike on 30th January reported through a private message to Airwars.
  • An injured civilian receives medical treatment following an alleged Turkish airstrike on Rajo, Afrin, 30th January 2018. (via Manbij Military Council)
  • An injured civilian receives medical treatment following an alleged Turkish airstrike on Rajo, Afrin, 30th January 2018. (via Alitihad)
  • An injured civilian receives medical treatment following an alleged Turkish airstrike on Rajo, Afrin, 30th January 2018. (via Alitihad)
  • Aftermath of an alleged Turkish airstrike on Rajo, Afrin, 30th January 2018. (via Alitihad)
  • An injured civilian receives medical treatment following an alleged Turkish airstrike on Rajo, Afrin, 30th January 2018. (via Alitihad)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    An injured civilian receives medical treatment following an alleged Turkish airstrike on Rajo, Afrin, 30th January 2018. (via ROjava network)
  • Aftermath of an alleged Turkish airstrike on Rajo, Afrin, 30th January 2018. (via Rumaf )
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    An injured civilian receives medical treatment following an alleged Turkish airstrike on Rajo, Afrin, 30th January 2018. (via Rumaf )
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    An injured civilian receives medical treatment following an alleged Turkish airstrike on Rajo, Afrin, 30th January 2018. (via Kurdish red crescent )

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Rajo, Afrin (جنديرس), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.67296, 36.666364. 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
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • 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 (12) [ collapse]