The Civilian Harm Watchdog

Casualty Recording ▸ Conflicts

Turkish Military in Iraq & Syria

Turkey fought numerous military actors after intervening militarily in the Syrian Civil War in 2015, primarily against Kurdish forces but also at times the Islamic State. In northern Iraq, Turkey’s military campaign against Kurdish militant groups has expanded in recent years.

Airwars has documented hundreds of allegations of civilian harm by Turkish strikes against Kurdish-affiliated forces in Iraq and Syria since 2015.

Image: An internally displaced Kurdish family in northern Iraq, 2016 (Maranie R. Staab)

Turkish Military in Iraq & Syria

Overview Incident Map Incidents Research & Investigations

▴ An internally displaced Kurdish family in northern Iraq, 2016 (Maranie R. Staab)

Airwars estimate of civilian deaths

1,009 – 1,493

Locally reported civilian deaths from declared or likely Turkish Military actions in Iraq and Syria for which the reporting was assessed by Airwars as Fair, or have been Confirmed by the Turkish Military. These originate from 980 separate alleged incidents.

215 – 242

children likely killed

150 – 170

women likely killed

2,439

likely injured

2,230

named victims

Turkish Military estimate of civilian deaths

0

Confirmed civilian deaths, from Turkish Military actions in Iraq and Syria, originating from 0 separate incidents of civilian harm.

civilians confirmed injured

Alleged deaths

1,752 – 2,484

Locally reported civilian deaths from Turkish Military actions in Iraq and Syria.

980 seperate alleged incidents

Confirmed or Fair

1,009 – 1,493

Civilian deaths for which the reporting was assessed by Airwars as Fair, or have been Confirmed by Turkish Military

731 seperate alleged incidents

Weak

116 – 134

Civilian deaths for which the reporting was assessed by Airwars as Weak.

164 seperate alleged incidents

Contested

326 – 556

Civilian deaths for which the reporting is assessed by Airwars as Contested.

82 seperate alleged incidents

Discounted

301

Civilian deaths were Discounted by Airwars after assessment.

2 seperate alleged incidents

Start Date

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End Date

Strike Type

Causes of Death / Injury

Strike Status

Civilian Harm Status

Belligerent Assessment

Casualty

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969 incidents

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Incident Date

Incident Code

Location

Mishrafa village, Al Hassakah, Syria

In the first civilian casualty incident for "Operation Peace Spring" - Turkey's offensive on Kurdish-led militias in northeast Syria - one or two civilians were killed and a further two injured in Mishrafa village, according to various sources on the ground. All known sources attributed responsibility to Turkish airstrikes and reported that two civilians were…

Summary

Airstrike and/or Artillery

Civilians reported killed

Civilians reported injured

Causes of Death / Injury

Heavy weapons and explosive munitions

Turkish Military

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Incident Date

Incident Code

Location

Ras al-Ain, Al Hassakah, Syria

One civilian died and at least five more were wounded in alleged Turkish shelling in the vicinity of Ras al-Ain, local media reported. @NPA_SY tweeted: "Five civilians were injured,and taken to Lekirin hospital in Tal-Tamr west of Hasakah, after being hit by Turkish artillery shelling on the city of Ras al-Ain and surrounding villages." According…

Summary

Airstrike and/or Artillery

Civilians reported killed

Civilians reported injured

Causes of Death / Injury

Heavy weapons and explosive munitions

Turkish Military

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Incident Date

Incident Code

Location

Mabrouka IDP camp, Ras al-Ain, Al Hassakah, Syria

@NPA_SY tweeted: that the SDF Press Office said "a child lost his life in Mabrouka IDP camp, Ras al-Ain, due to the difficulty of moving him to hospital following Turkish indiscriminate shelling". Hawar news agency also reported the death of a child.

Summary

Airstrike and/or Artillery

Civilians reported killed

Causes of Death / Injury

Heavy weapons and explosive munitions

Turkish Military

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Incident Date

Incident Code

Location

Mitkalta village, Tal Abyad, Raqqa, Syria

Two or three civilians from the same family - a father, mother, and their child - died in an alleged Turkish strike on Matkalat village in the countryside of Tal Abyad area in the northern countryside of Al-Raqqah, according to local media. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that "three people, a man, his…

Summary

Airstrike and/or Artillery

Civilians reported killed

Civilians reported injured

Causes of Death / Injury

Heavy weapons and explosive munitions

Turkish Military

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Incident Date

Incident Code

Location

Tirbe-Sipi, Eastern Qamishli, Al Hassakah, Syria

One civilian died and up to 10 more were injured in alleged Turkish shelling on Tirbe-Sipi, Eastern Qamishli, according to local media. @NPA_SY reported one civilian death - and the injury of six more. Other sources put the number of wounded at four or five. Yehya Ibrahim Aljasem, 25-years-old, was named as killed. Buyerpress noted…

Summary

Airstrike and/or Artillery

Civilians reported killed

Civilians reported injured

Causes of Death / Injury

Heavy weapons and explosive munitions

Turkish Military

View Incident →

Incident Date

Incident Code

Location

al-Basheriyah, Qamishli, Al Hassakah, Syria

Up to three civilians including a woman were reported killed and many more wounded in alleged Turkish shelling of a Christian neighbourhood in al-Basheriyah, Qamishli, sources said. Reports claimed that the shells landed on civilian homes and fires broke out. Multiple reports published graphic images of casualties. @NPA_SY said that a Kurdish civilian died and…

Summary

Airstrike and/or Artillery

Civilians reported killed

Civilians reported injured

Causes of Death / Injury

Heavy weapons and explosive munitions

Turkish Military

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Research and Investigations

View allSee all for Turkish Military in Iraq & Syria →

Reported civilian deaths from Turkish Military strikes in Iraq

Database tracks casualties in Iraq during Turkish strikes

Turkish Military in Iraq and Syria Casualty Map

Turkey has conducted hundreds of unilateral air and artillery strikes in both Syria and Iraq – as well as a small number of actions as part of the US-led Coalition against so-called Islamic State. From July 2015 in Iraq, occasional unilateral Turkish airstrikes began targeting Kurdish militants in northern Kurdistan. Thirteen months later, the first […]

Who killed Ahmed and Youssef?

When two Iraqi holidaymakers were killed in the Kurdish region of the country, the finger of blame turned to Turkish strikes. But this investigation finds a roadside bomb was the more likely cause.

Renewed military campaign in northern Iraq against PKK sees deaths of 13 Turkish captives

A renewed campaign by Turkey in mid February against a Kurdish militant faction – which has seen Turkish troops pushing deeper than ever before into northern Iraq – also saw the deaths of thirteen Turkish civilian and military captives in a highly controversial attack, Airwars monitoring of the region shows. On February 10th, the Turkish […]

More than 220 civilians likely killed in Turkish invasion of northern Syria

Eleven weeks on from the October 9th launch of a Turkish-led offensive against Kurds in northern Syria, known as ‘Operation Peace Spring’, fighting continues to rage with civilians still encountering significant violence. Since the beginning of the latest clashes, Airwars researchers have overall monitored between 244 and 312 reported civilian deaths resulting from air, artillery […]

Syria, Türkiye

Civilians severely at risk from Turkish invasion of Northern Syria

Airwars monitors locally reported civilian harm from all Turkish air and artillery strikes in Iraq and Syria, as well as from Kurdish counterfire actions. Our database can be found here. More than 120 civilian deaths have been locally alleged in eight days of fighting in northern Syria to October 16th, following a Turkish-led offensive, ‘Operation […]