On the afternoon of Saturday, 21st December 2024, a Turkish military drone allegedly hit a civilian Hyundai car along with one more civilian car travelling on the Al-Hawl–Tal Brak road near the Shuhada Gas Station checkpoint, south of the town of Tal Brak in Al-Hasakah governorate, Syria. The attack reportedly killed at least three civilians — including a local cleric — and injured between three and five others. Later updates from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights indicated that the death toll rose to five, including a woman, after two of the wounded succumbed to their injuries.

Hawar News Agency was among the first to report the incident, identifying the deceased as Basem Shaddadi (a member of the Tal Brak City Council), Abeer al-Khalif (a member of the Community Protection Forces), and cleric Ahmed al-Tammi (a member of the Senate). The head of the Senate Council in Tal Brak, Baniyan Hasnawi Jadou, was reported injured and receiving treatment in the hospital.

Roj News, ANF News, and other outlets reported that two cars were struck in the attack, while the Internal Security Forces (Asayish) issued an official statement condemning the strike. SOHR confirmed the targeting and said the attack involved two airstrikes, raising the fatality count and noting that the incident occurred amidst wider Turkish drone escalation in the region, including strikes on grain facilities in Kobani on the same day.

Images shared on Facebook by local activists showed the victims prior to burial and the aftermath of the strike, with damage to the vehicle visible. Posts by Ibrahim Sheikho and Ela Hiso confirmed the identity of Mullah Ahmed Al-Tammi among the dead.

Where sources identified the perpetrator, all attributed responsibility to the Turkish military.