Turkish Military in Iraq & Syria

Turkish Military in Iraq & Syria

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

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Incident Code

TS586

Incident date

January 19, 2023

Location

رميلان, Rumailan, Al Hasakah, Syria

Geolocation

37.006190, 41.950519 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A SDF fighter was killed and another person, either another SDF fighter or a civilian, was injured in alleged Turkish drone strikes in the city of Rumailan on January 19, 2023.

A Facebook post by قامشلو الحدث Qamislo reported that a young man named Muhammad Diaa al-Din Hajji Muhammad was killed in the attack close to his wedding day. A Facebook post by the cousin of the victim named Alan Basho stated that the victim’s name was Rojhat Basho, which Hawar clarified is the victim’s “code name”.

Hawar News quoted a statement from the Syrian Democratic Forces who revealed that one of their fighters was killed and another person was wounded in the Turkish drone attack. According to the SDF, the fighter that was killed was working in the Department of Relations with the International Coalition. It is unclear if the other person injured was a fighter or a civilian.

Hawar News identified the location as the southern side of the town of Rumailan and the sources also quoted the SDF who stated that the drone struck a “military relations point in the town of “Rumailan” used to coordinate meetings with the international coalition forces.”

All of the sources attributed the attack to Turkish drones.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    0–1
  • 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
    YPG
  • Suspected target
    YPG/SDF
  • Belligerents reported killed
    1
  • Belligerents reported injured
    0–1

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]

  • Image of Muhammad Diaa al-Din Hajji Muhammad, an SDF fighter killed by alleged Turkish drone strikes on the city of Rumailan on January 19, 2023. (Image posted by قامشلو قلب كوردستان Qamislo heart of Kurdistan via Facebook)
  • Image of Muhammad Diaa al-Din Hajji Muhammad, an SDF fighter killed by alleged Turkish drone strikes on the city of Rumailan on January 19, 2023. (Image posted by قامشلو قلب كوردستان Qamislo heart of Kurdistan via Facebook)
  • Image of Muhammad Diaa al-Din Hajji Muhammad, an SDF fighter killed by alleged Turkish drone strikes on the city of Rumailan on January 19, 2023. (Image posted by صاعقة الشمال North industry via Facebook)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Rumailan (رميلان), for which the generic coordinates are: 37.006190, 41.950519. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

YPG Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    YPG
  • YPG 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
    0–1
  • 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
    YPG
  • Suspected target
    YPG/SDF
  • Belligerents reported killed
    1
  • Belligerents reported injured
    0–1

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS617

Incident date

July 29, 2023

Location

ثل رفعت , Tal Rifaat, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.455161, 37.094016 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Subdistrict level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On Saturday July 29th 2023, in the early hours of the morning, the Tal Rifaat district in al-Shahba area in Syria was reportedly shelled by the Turkish forces, resulting in the injury of at least one civilian.

Local news outlet ANF News reported the shelling and alleged it resulted in one civilian injury: citizen “Azad Hussein Kol Dadu/Kaldado”. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights further reported that Azad Hussein Kol Dadu, a civilian displaced from Afrin, was receiving treatment in a nearby medical center.

These versions of events were reported in the media by ANF News and corroborated by other media outlets such as ANHA Hawar News Agency using their ground correspondent, the UK based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), and a Facebook post by a user linked to the ANHA Hawar News Agency.

A Facebook post by Syrian journalist Ehmed Rizgar reported “injuries among the citizens” from the shelling, adding that he was only able to document the name of one of them. However, it is unclear how many injuries he is referring to.

The incident occured in the morning.

The victims were named as:

Azad Hussein Kol Dadu
Age unknown male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    IDP or refugee camp
  • 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 (1) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Pictured, Azad Hussein Kaldado, injured by Turkish Army shelling in bombed Tal Rifaat district in al-Shahba area. Published by Hawarnews

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the Tal Rifaat (تل رفعت) subdistrict, for which the generic coordinates are: 36.455161, 37.094016. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

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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
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    IDP or refugee camp
  • 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

TS652

Incident date

October 22, 2023

Location

قرية الشيخ عيسى, Sheikh Esa, Aleppo countryside, Syria

Airwars assessment

In the morning of Sunday, October 22nd, 2023, an alleged Turkish artillery strike seriously injured a woman in the village of Sheikh Esai n the Al-Shahba countryside, north of Aleppo. According to Alyaum News, civilian property was also damaged by the strike.

According to the Human Rights Organization Afrin – Syria, the 22-year-old woman, named as Samira Khaled Issa, was injured by shrapnel from an artillery shell fired by the Turkish forces. She was transferred to Tal Rifaat Hospital to receive treatment, as depicted by images of the woman on a hospital bed.

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to the Turkish military.

The incident occured in the morning.

The victims were named as:

Samira Khaled Issa سميرة خالد عيسى
22 years old female 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 (4) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: ANF news

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 (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS001

Incident date

March 14, 2016

Location

جكة, Jakka, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.607222, 37.295833 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A single source, the Daesh-linked propaganda outlet Al A’amaq Media, reported an alleged ‘friendly fire’ event in the village of al Jakka: “An American plane carries out a raid by mistake on a position for the armed opposition on the outskirts of the village of Jakka in the northern Aleppo countryside, leading to deaths in their ranks.”

Earlier in the day Al A’amaq had reported a major assault on the Daesh-held location, claiming that “American planes and Turkish artillery are bombing the village of Jakka in the northern Aleppo countryside, while Syrian opposition forces try to storm it.”

No civilian casualties were reported in this instance.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attackers
    Turkish Military, US-led Coalition

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Jakka (جكة), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.607222, 37.295833. 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

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attackers
    Turkish Military, US-led Coalition

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS149

Incident date

February 2, 2018

Location

بلبلة, Bulbul, Afrin, Aleppo, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.770899, 36.818318 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In a report shared with Airwars, the Kurdish Red Crescent named one civilian as wounded in Bulbul, Syria.

The victim was listed as “Sharfan Subhi Ali, 27, ankle injury”.

The weapon used has not been reported.

No further details are currently available.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Sharfan Subhi Ali
27 years old male injured

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Bulbul, Afrin, Aleppo (بلبلة), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.770899, 36.818318. 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
    1
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS180

Incident date

February 10, 2018

Location

بلبلة, Bulbu, Afrin, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.770899, 36.818318 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In a private report to Airwars, the Kurdish Red Crescent named the following one civilian as wounded in an alleged Turkish shelling of Bulbul:

‘Tawfiq Mohammed Dado, 55, shrapnel in the left thigh’.

There are no other details at this time.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Tawfiq Mohammed Dado
55 years old male shrapnel to the left thigh injured

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (1) [ collapse]

    • English
    • English

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Bulbu, Afrin (بلبلة), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.770899, 36.818318. 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
    1
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (1) [ collapse]

    • English
    • English

Incident Code

TS287

Incident date

December 20, 2018

Location

الدرباسية , Ad Darbasiyah, Hassakah, Syria

Geolocation

37.073092, 40.651020 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Four civilians were allegedly killed in a Turkish airstrike on Ad Darbasiyah.

ANF reported: “According to reports, Turkish military forces targeted a family in the border area between Erade and Feqiran villages in Dirbesiye city of Heseke Canton.

The savage armed attack claimed the life of 4 civilians, 3 of whom are women.”

Özgür Gündem tweeted: “Turkish army targeted a family between the villages of Eradê and Feqîra in the west of Dirbêsiyê and east of Serêkaniyê around 22.30 yesterday evening. 4 people were killed in the attack, including 3 women and 5 people were injured”

Other sources published similar reports.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Ahmed El-Casim
14 years old male injured
Khaledi Abdullah Umar
65 years old male injured
Abdullah Mohammed Sayyed
22 years old male injured
Xewla Hamid Ewad
16 years old female injured
Rohilat Ibrahim Mahmoud
25 years old female injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • (3 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    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 (5) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Pictures of the alleged victims

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Ad Darbasiyah ( الدرباسية ), for which the generic coordinates are: 37.073092, 40.651020. 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
    4
  • (3 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    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 (5) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS333

Incident date

October 12, 2019

Location

طريق M4 جنوب تل أبيض, M4 Highway south of Tal Abyad, Hassakah, Syria

Geolocation

36.425609, 39.017534 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Street level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported: “Members of the Turkey-loyal factions carried out a field execution of 6 new citizens by the fire of machine guns, after they took control of the highway to al-Hasakah city south of Tal Abyad for a short time, before they withdrew from it”.

No further details are currently available.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Counter-Terrorism Action (Ground)
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • Cause of injury / death
    Small arms and light weapons
  • 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]

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the M4 highway south of Tal Abyad (تل أبيض), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.425609, 39.017534. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

  • Reports of the incident mention the M4 highway south of Tal Abyad (تل أبيض).

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

Turkish Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Counter-Terrorism Action (Ground)
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • Cause of injury / death
    Small arms and light weapons
  • 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]