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Airwars Assessment
Four men from the same family were killed and three others, including a child with special needs, were injured when Turkish mercenaries alleged shot them during Newroz celebrations in Jandrisa district on March 20, 2023.
Local sources told Hawar News that the mercenaries of Ahrar al-Sharqiya opened fire on civilians in Jandrisa district while they were lighting a Newroz fire on the roof of their house, killed four people from one family and injuring three others.
Hawar News published the names of the civilians killed: Farah al-Din Othman (43 years old) – Muhammad Muhammad Othman (38 years old) – Muhammad Ismail Othman (18 years old) – Nazmi Muhammad Othman (53 years old). The three older family members killed were brothers, and the youngest was a son/nephew. Afrin News added that the minor Firas Abdo Khalil, 14 years old with special needs, was also injured in the shooting.
The Syrian Democratic Council identified the victims as a Kurdish family living in a refugee tent because they were displaced by the February 6th earthquake.
Ms. Rosheen Othman, the sister of the three brothers who were killed and the mother of the younger man killed, told the Syrian Democratic Council that she was hiding inside the tent during the attack with her son and she tried to prevent her son from exiting the tent, but he wanted to help his father and other relatives. He ran out and was shot in the heart, and died instantly.
Afrin News detailed that “Nazmi” was sitting outside near the fire when he was first assaulted and threatened, then machine gunned heavily until the rest of his family came out to help and they were hit in the chest and stomach, each victim sustaining 10-15 bullet wounds.
According to private sources who spoke to Hawar News, the injured and killed civilians were transferred to the “military hospital” in Afrin but the hospital refused to treat the injured so they were transferred to a hospital in the town of Atmeh, which is under the occupation of “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.”
Hawar News reported that following the massacre against the family, demonstrations against the Turkish military and its mercenary groups occurred in Afrin and the surrounding villages, with the protestors refusing to hold a funeral until the perpetrators of the massacre were held accountable. The “Military Police” announced that they had arrested the perpetrator – “Hassan al-Daba'”, the leader of the “Ahrar al-Sharqiya” mercenaries – however Hawar News speculated that Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham was also involved. Afrin News named the perpetrators as “Omar Saleh Al-Asmar, born in 2000 AD, Habib Ali Khalaf, born in 2004 AD, Bilal Ahmed Al-Aboud, born in 2000 AD) with direct support and attribution from the so-called “Ali Khalaf / Abu Habib Khasham.”
The Syrian Democratic Council also documented connection between the mercenary group and Turkish forces, stating that “Jaish al-Sharqiya is one of main Turkish-backed terrorist groups controlling the Syrian district of Afrin…These militants benefit from training and equipment provided by the Turkish government. The militants are given money, weapons, and the authority to conduct activities by Turkish officials.”
Victims
Family members (4)
Individuals
Key Information
Geolocation Notes
Reports of the incident mention the Jindires (جنديرس) subdistrict, the generic coordinates for which are: 36.415093, 36.700472. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.