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

10 March 2018

Incident Code

TS262

Location

خربة حياة, شيروا, عفرين, Kharbat Hayat village, Shirwa district, Afrin, Aleppo, Syria
According to a single source, one civilian was killed followed an alleged Turkish shelling on Kharbat Hayat village, Shirwa district, Afrin Rumaf revealed the name of a 62-year-old male who was killed, adding a 60-year-old male was also injured. There is a photograph published in the same post of a young boy who appears to be…

Summary

Published
10 March 2018
Civilians reported killed
1–2
Civilians reported injured
1
Military Actor
Turkish Military
View Incident →

Incident Date

10 March 2018

Incident Code

TS263

Location

إبين, عفرين, village of Abyan, Afrin, Aleppo, Syria
According to a single source, an unidentified number of civilians wounded followed an alleged Turkish shelling on the village of Abyan, Afrin, Syria. Rumaf, indicates that Turkish army targeted the village of Abyan with artillery and the fall of dozens of missiles near the regime HQ in Abyan, which led to several civilians being wounded. No further details…

Summary

Published
10 March 2018
Civilians reported injured
2
Military Actor
Turkish Military
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Incident Date

9 March 2018

Incident Code

TS259

Location

ترميشا, عفرين, Termisha, Afrin, Aleppo, Syria
One civilian died, and another was injured in an alleged Turkish airstrike on Termisha, Syria, according to local media. IC Afrin reported that a 55-years-old civilian was hit and killed by a warplane yesterday night in the village of Çomezna (Mabata district). According to Hawar, another man was wounded. It named him as 48-year-old Mohammed Omar…

Summary

Published
9 March 2018
Civilians reported killed
1
Civilians reported injured
1
Military Actor
Turkish Military
View Incident →

Incident Date

9 March 2018

Incident Code

TS260

Location

مريمين, Mariamin, Afrin, Aleppo, Syria
According to local media, at least nine civilians including two or three children and one woman died, and between 10 and 17 or more people were wounded following an alleged Turkish air and artillery bombardment of Mariamin, Syria. Afrin Qalb Al-Hadath reported more than seventeen wounded and nine martyrs, including three civilian children in the…

Summary

Published
9 March 2018
Civilians reported killed
2–9
Civilians reported injured
10–17
Military Actor
Turkish Military
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Incident Date

8 March 2018

Incident Code

TS257

Location

قرية ترندة, Tarnada villlage, Afrin, Aleppo, Syria
At least three of four children from the same family died, and their mother was wounded in an alleged Turkish shelling of Tarnada village near the city of Afrin, according to local media. Reports said that their home was struck. Afrin Now reported: The death of three children and the injury of a child and…

Summary

Published
8 March 2018
Civilians reported killed
3–4
Civilians reported injured
1–2
Military Actor
Turkish Military
View Incident →

Incident Date

8 March 2018

Incident Code

TS258

Location

سري كانية, عفرين, Siri Kanaida, Syrian-Turkish border, Afrin, Aleppo, Syria
Local media reported that three civilians were wounded in an alleged Turkish mortar attack in Siri Kanai on the Syrian-Turkish border. The victims were reportedly taken to hospital where they were in a stable condition. According to Hawar, three people were injured in Sri Kanaia as a result of the Turkish occupation army launched mortar…

Summary

Published
8 March 2018
Civilians reported injured
3
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 […]