On Wednesday, 15 January 2025, a civilian convoy and a gathering of civilians were subjected to a series of alleged Turkish airstrikes and/or shelling in the vicinity of Tishreen Dam located near Manbij in the Aleppo countryside of Syria. In the attacks, seven civilians, including two women and ambulance crew members, were killed, and 22 civilians, among them at least four women and a child, were injured.

The victims were identified by Hawar News as Omar Hassan, Adham Ali, his wife Heza Muhammad, and Othman Mustafa Ibrahim. Rohani TV provided two additional names of victims killed in the attack, namely Omar Hussein Darwish and Bassem Omar. It is not clear from the sources whether Omar Hussein Darwish may be the same person as Omar Hassan mentioned by Hawar News. Another victim, Roniz Muhammad Ali, died later in hospital on 22 January due to the injuries sustained during the attack.

Of the wounded, 15 civilians, including at least four women, were identified as: Ilham Khalil Darwish (36), Dilan Murad Khalil (21), Adla Mustafa Muhammad Ali (24), Azad Idris, Yasser Hamid, Mazloum Hamo (30), Maryam Hanan (70), Maher Muhyiddin, Kurdo Mahmoud Hassan, Fatima Omar Ali, Ezz El-Din Haji Abbas, Hiba Omar Aziz, and Muhammad Abdul Qader.

According to Hawar News, the killed and wounded were transferred to the hospitals of Tabqa, Raqqa and Kobani.

Hawar News was the first to report the incident, mentioning an early toll of three victims killed and seven injured. Later, Hawar News reported that injuries and deaths resulted from at least two different strikes, one hitting the civilian convoy and leading to the death of one civilian and injury of four, and the second hitting the gathering of civilians at the dam, leading to the death of three and injury of 19. Hence, the total injury toll was 23 civilians.

Further details on the victims were shared on Facebook. A post by user Kobano Al Hadath depicted Othman Ibrahim wearing a khaki shirt on what appears to be a river or lakeshore. The same account also shared two pictures of Adham Ali and his wife, Heza Muhammad, both presumably taken during a wedding or other celebration. Hawar News provided additional information, noting that Omar Hassan worked in healthcare, while Othman Mustafa Ibrahim was a member of the Euphrates Canton Autonomous Administration Council.

Another Facebook account, Sirikane, provided information about a student named Roniz Muhammad Ali who died on 22 January in a hospital in Kobani as a result of her wounds, along with a picture of the young woman with long dark hair, standing outdoors in a grey outfit.

Hawar News added a video and an image of an injured man lying on a hospital bed with a pipe in his mouth. As it is seen from the image, he had a serious stomach wound.

According to North Press, Turkish airstrikes hit a convoy of civilians heading to Tishreen Dam to demand an end of the bombings against the structure. Accordingly, an ambulance accompanying the convoy was directly hit. The Health Authority in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria reported that “the Turkish targeting resulted in the injury of 19 people and the loss of four others, including ambulance crew members, and the disruption and destruction of five ambulances.”

Images of the aftermath shared by Bas News and Hawar News showed the convoy of civilian cars and ambulances on what appears to be the road over or in the immediate proximity of the dam. Most of the vehicles showed smashed windshields, and, in other cases, more extensive damage. A related video showed a group of people standing near the heavily damaged vehicles.

Another video filmed by ANHA News shared the immediate aftermath of the strike and efforts to rescue the injured civilians. A group of people was carrying an injured person on a blanket downstairs amidst heavily damaged vehicles and ambulances. The video also showed a young child being treated for his head injury.

According to VDC, significant material damage was inflicted on the dam, which is one of the most important vital facilities in the region.

All sources agree in identifying Turkish forces or militias/mercenaries loyal to Turkey as responsible for the strike. While most sources described the attack as an airstrike, others, such as Basnews, simply report “shelling” against the convoy. Basnews also affirmed that the presence of civilians near the dam was encouraged by the Democratic Union Party (PYD) administration.