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.

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
969 incidents
Order results by:
Incident Date ↓ Publication Date

Incident Date

25 May 2019

Incident Code

TS289

Location

برج القاص, Burj al-Qas, Aleppo, Syria
A young woman was injured in alleged Turkish artillery fire on Burj al-Qas in Şêrawa. ANHA reported: "On the other hand, sources told our agency that the Turkish occupation army fired indiscriminately at the village of Birj al-Qas in the area of ​​Sherawa, wounding the young woman Manar Ali Nassero. The source confirmed that her…

Summary

Published
25 May 2019
Strike Type
Artillery
Civilians reported injured
1
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
Turkish Military
View Incident →

Incident Date

15 May 2019

Incident Code

TI021a

Location

برزان, Mount Butin, Erbil, Iraq
A 50-year-old male civilian died in an alleged Turkish airstrike on Barzan, according to multiple local sources. ANF reported: "Turkish fighter jets carried out a bombardment on Mount Bote located in Barzan region in the countryside of Hewler (Erbil) Governorate. "A 50-year-old civilian by the name of Kazım Eli was killed in the attack. The…

Summary

Published
15 May 2019
Strike Type
Airstrike
Civilians reported killed
1
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
Turkish Military
View Incident →

Incident Date

30 April 2019

Incident Code

TS288

Location

الشهباء‎, Al Shabha province, Aleppo, Syria
Five civilians were reportedly injured in a Turkish airstrike on the Al Shabha province of Aleppo. ANHA reported: "5 civilians were injured following the bombing of the Turkish Occupation Army and its mercenaries to the villages of Al Shahba Province. Our communication from Al Shahba District reported that, as a result of the intense shelling…

Summary

Published
30 April 2019
Strike Type
Airstrike
Civilians reported injured
5
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
Turkish Military
View Incident →

Incident Date

22 January 2019

Incident Code

TI021

Location

رشاوة, Rashawa, Duhok, Iraq
Four men were killed in alleged Turkish airstrikes on the area of Deraluk, Dohuk province, on January 22nd or 23rd, 2020, according to local sources. Two men remain missing: it is unknown if they were also killed or arrested or kidnapped. It is unclear if the men were civilians or Peshmerga. A local "security source"…

Summary

Published
22 January 2019
Civilians reported killed
0–4
Military actors reported killed
0–4
Military Actor
Turkish Military
View Incident →

Incident Date

20 December 2018

Incident Code

TS287

Location

الدرباسية, Ad Darbasiyah, Al Hassakah, Syria
Four civilians were allegedly killed in a Turkish airstrike on Ad Darbasiyah. ANF reported: "According to reports, Turkish military forces targeted a family in the border area between Erade and Feqiran villages in Dirbesiye city of Heseke Canton. The savage armed attack claimed the life of 4 civilians, 3 of whom are women." Özgür Gündem…

Summary

Published
20 December 2018
Strike Type
Airstrike
Civilians reported killed
4
Civilians reported injured
5
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
Turkish Military
View Incident →

Incident Date

13 December 2018

Incident Code

TI020

Location

مخمور, Makhmour refugee camp, Erbil, Iraq
Four women were killed in alleged Turkish airstrikes on the Rustam Jodi refugee camp in Makhmour, south of Erbil on December 13th 2018, according to local media reports. Rustom Joudi, the governor of Rastam Jodi camp, said that the Turkish shelling, which took place at 21:00 on Thursday, killed four women, three of them from…

Summary

Published
13 December 2018
Civilians reported killed
4
Military Actor
Turkish Military
View Incident →

Research and Investigations

View all →
17 May, 2023
Visualisation
Iraq

Reported civilian deaths from Turkish Military strikes in Iraq

Database tracks casualties in Iraq during Turkish strikes
6 Sep, 2022
Visualisation
Iraq, Syria

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 […]
8 Feb, 2022
Investigations
Iraq

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.
25 Feb, 2021
Research
Iraq, Türkiye

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 […]
24 Dec, 2019
Update
Syria

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 […]
18 Oct, 2019
Update
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 […]