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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Turkish Military
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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:

Younis Mustafa Daoud يونس داود
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

TS547

Incident date

August 16, 2022

Location

زركان, Zarkan, Hassakah, Syria

Geolocation

36.846389, 40.326944 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Subdistrict level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A child was injured in alleged Turkish shelling of the Zarkan sub-district on August 16, 2022.

Hawar News Agency reported that in the Zarkan sub-district, 11 year old Tamim Faisal Hamad was wounded by Turkish shelling on the district’s center. There was no other information available about victims of the shelling.

North Press Agency cited a military source who said that three Turkish shells hit a village in Zarkan.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Tamim Faisal Hamad تميم فيصل حمد
11 years old 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
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the district of Zarkan (زركان), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.846389, 40.326944. 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 (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS575

Incident date

November 29, 2022

Location

صوغانكي, Soghnaki, Aleppo , Syria

Geolocation

36.435923, 36.927280 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On November 29th 2022, two civilians were reportedly injured following Turkish artillery shelling on Soghnaki (Soghanaki) village in Sherawa district, Aleppo governorate.

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
    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 target
    Unknown

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • On November 29th 2022, several villages were reportedly targeted by Turkish artillery shelling in Sherawa district. Photo: Rojnews

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Soghnaki (صوغانكي), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.435923, 36.927280. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • 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 target
    Unknown

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS609

Incident date

July 5, 2023

Location

كوباني, Kobani, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.889115, 38.350168 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On the 5th July 2023, two ambulance crew members were reportedly injured by a Turkish artillery strike in southern Kobani, located in the North of Syria.

30 year-old Sozdar Othman and 25 year-old Muslim Nabi Oso were injured whilst traveling to the area of Newroz Square, which was hit by mortar shells, to evacuate possible casualties. The North Press agency reported that both individuals were taken to hospitals in the city of Kobani for medical treatment after sustaining ‘shrapnel wounds in their legs as a result of the Turkish shelling’. At the time of reporting, both men were in stable condition and were still receiving treatment at the hospital.

This version of events was reported by several news outlets, including the ANHA, Alfurat Human Rights and ANF. All of these reports conform with the narrative provided by the North Press Agency.

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
    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 (8) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Sozdar Othman, 30, and Muslim Nabi Usso, 25, both members of the medical staff were injured by alleged Turkish shelling of Kobani on July 5, 2023. (Image posted by the North Press Agency)
  • Alleged Turkish shelling of Kobani on July 5, 2023. (Image posted by Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
  • Alleged Turkish shelling of Kobani on July 5, 2023. (Image posted by Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
  • Alleged Turkish shelling of Kobani on July 5, 2023. (Image posted by Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
  • The bombing resulted in the injury of two civilians as a result of the Turkish army targeting the vicinity of the city of Kobani, and the injured were transferred Suzdar Mustafa Othman, 30 years old, and Muslim Nabi Oso, 25 years old, to the hospitals of Kobani city to receive treatment

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Kobani (كوباني), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.889115, 38.350168. 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
    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 (8) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS647

Incident date

October 9, 2023

Location

البشرية, the village of Al-Bashiriya, al-Hasakah, Al-Hasakah, Syria

Airwars assessment

In the morning hours of Monday, October 9th, 2023, at least five civilians, including four women and a child, were injured by an alleged Turkish bombardment while working in cotton fields in the village of Al-Bashiriya located in the Al-Darbasiyah district of Al-Hasakah in northeastern Syria.

According to the Hawar news agency and Aso news, the injured women – Raksa Saleh Fawaz (50 years old), Khadija Eidan al-Qamar (40 years old), Farah Adnan (25 years old), Zeina Hammoud (20 years old), and Jumana Hammad (12 years old), –  were taken to a hospital in Darbasiya district, and then to hospitals in Hasakah city to receive treatment. According to a medical source at Al-Shaab Hospital, Raksa Saleh Fawaz was seriously injured in the head and hand, Khadija Eidan Al-Qamar was injured in the abdomen, Farah Adnan was subjected to amputation of her legs, Zeina Hammoud was injured in the thigh, and the girl Jumana Hammad was injured by scattered shrapnel in the back.

Farah Adnan, who lost her legs in this attack, shared her grievances to Human Rights Organization “Afrin”: “Hello world, my name is Farah, and I was picking cotton with my mother when Turkey bombed us. As a result, I lost my legs, and I cannot walk and play anymore.”

Omer Hassan shared an image of Farah in the hospital where her injuries can be seen. According to him, among the injured was also Farah’s mother.

Another injured woman, Khadija Eidan al-Tamr, commented to Hawar news:  “We are female workers who work in the cotton harvest in the village of Al-Bashiriya, east of Zarkan district, and in the morning hours, Turkish aircraft bombed the area, and as a result, she and my friends at work were injured.”

Hawar news, Facebook user Qamishlo and other sources shared the images of the injured women being treated at the hospital. An elderly woman Raksa Saleh Fawaz  in a green dress is seen crying in the images while her head is bandaged.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) claimed that the number of the injured civilians was eight rather than five, and children are among the victims. However, it did not provide any further details.

Where the sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to the Turkish military. However, the sources differed regarding the nature of the strike – Rafidain news and Hawar news alleged that that was an airstrike, Athar press, Derbiseye Facebook account claimed that was an artillery bombardment.

The incident occured in the morning.

The victims were named as:

Rakza Saleh Fawaz ركزة صالح فواز
50 years old female injured
Khadija Eidan Al-Qamar خديجة عيدان القمر
40 years old female injured
Farah Adnan فرح عدنان
25 years old female injured
Zeina Hammoud زينة حمود
20 years old female injured
Jumana Hammad جمانة حماد
12 years old female injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    5–8
  • 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 (14) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (18) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Tal Tamer facebook
  • Source: Nudem facebook
  • Source: Nudem facebook
  • Source: Nudem facebook
  • Source: Nudem facebook
  • Source: Nudem facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Qamishlo facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Qamishlo facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Qamishlo facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Qamishlo facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Deir Ezzor updates facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Nudem facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Nudem facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Nudem facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Hawar News

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Omer Hassan facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

Turkish Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    5–8
  • 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 (14) [ 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

TS151

Incident date

February 2, 2018

Location

جنديرس, Rajo, Afrin, Aleppo, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.67296, 36.666364 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 nine male civilians as wounded in Rajo.

The weapons used have not been reported.

No further details are currently available.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

A’aref Hassan Ja’far
40 years old male Head injury injured
Abdullatif Ju’ma Ibrahim
32 years old male Suffocating and bruises injured
Ahmad Husni Abdo
37 years old male Suffocating and bruises injured
Malz Hassan
21 years old male Suffocating and bruises injured
Mohammed Alamo
22 years old male Suffocating and bruises injured
Mustafa Kamal Ma’mo
25 years old male Left leg amputated and right one broken injured
Ma’mo Jamo
24 years old male Bruises injured
Hanan Ahmad
40 years old male Dislocated shoulder injured
Dawood Qanbar
53 years old male Bruises on feet injured

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    9
  • 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 Rajo, Afrin, Aleppo (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
    9
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS214

Incident date

February 19, 2018

Location

مخيم روبار, Robar camp, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.466944, 36.948333 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

According to Afrin Now, there were civilian casualties in Robar camp, Aleppo, followed an alleged Turkish bombardment of the camp.

Bahzani reported: “The Robar refugee camp was not safe from the bombardment, according to Jean, who said: As a result of the exposure of the Robar camp for the displaced to bombardment, several civilians were injured.”

It has been reported that missiles and shells were used in the raid.

Other local sources also reported an unspecified number of injured civilians in the camp.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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]

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
    2
  • 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]