At least three civilians, including two women, were killed and up to nine others, including three children, were injured in alleged Turkish artillery or airstrikes on the town of Zarkan and surrounding areas on December 21, 2021.

According to Hawar News, three civilians were killed and four other civilians were injured when Turkish forces bombed the town of Zarkan. Hawar also provided the names of the victims: “Malikat Ahmed Al-Eid, 30, and her elderly mother, Faslat Al-Eid, 60” from the village of Rabi’at, and the citizen Saleh Hamid from the village of Al-Asadiya as well as the injury of 4 civilians, the 50-year-old citizen “Ahmed Mohammed Al-Fars“, and 3 children “Judy Al-Eid, 4 years old, Juri Al-Eid, 11 years old, and Ahmed Al-Eid, 8 years old,” in addition to the injury of 3 members of the Damascus government forces in the town of Zarkan.

Rumaf News also reported that three civilians were killed, including a woman and her child, and the injury of three children, in addition to six other people injured in the Zarkan countryside. Rumaf attributed the casualties to Turkish artillery shelling. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights pointed out that of the “more than six others injured in separate areas in the countryside” some were in serious condition and had been transferred to Qamishli hospitals.

All of the sources that reported on the incident identified Turkish forces as being responsible.