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

✕

End Date

Strike Type

Causes of Death / Injury

Strike Status

Civilian Harm Status

Belligerent Assessment

Casualty

Infrastructure

Search

969 incidents

Order results by:

Incident Date Publication Date ↓

Incident Date

Incident Code

Location

رأس العين, Ras al Ain, Al Hassakah, Syria

At around noon on the 5th July, 2023, two children were killed and up to seven others, including a woman and a child were injured in an alleged armed clash between two of the Turkish-backed armed opposition factions at the al-Qaws checkpoint at the entrance of the Turkish-occupied city of Ras al Ain in Hasakah.…

Summary

Ground operation

Civilians reported killed

Civilians reported injured

Military actors reported killed

Causes of Death / Injury

Heavy weapons and explosive munitions, Small arms and light weapons

Turkish Military

View Incident →

Incident Date

Incident Code

Location

تديل, Tadil, Aleppo, Syria

On 4 July 2023, a family of four, including a mother and two girls, were killed and another civilian was injured by an artillery strike in the village of Tadil in the town of Urm al-Kubra, which is located in the countryside of Aleppo. The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights released a statement that said…

Summary

Civilians reported killed

Civilians reported injured

Causes of Death / Injury

Heavy weapons and explosive munitions

Turkish Military

View Incident →

Incident Date

Incident Code

Location

جورين, Jourin, Hama, Syria

Two civilians were injured by shelling allegedly carried out by the factions of the “Al-Fateh Al-Mubin” operations room, a Turkish sponsored militia, in Jourin in the Al-Ghab Plain region on June 27, 2023. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that two civilians were injured to varying degrees by shrapnel from rocket shells launched by…

Summary

Civilians reported injured

Causes of Death / Injury

Heavy weapons and explosive munitions

Turkish Military

View Incident →

Incident Date

Incident Code

Location

قرية تل شعير, Tel Shaeir road, Al Hassakah, Syria

On Tuesday June 20th 2023, an alleged drone strike by Turkish armed forces hit a car in the village of Beyandur, east of the city of Qamishli, northeast Syria, killing three civilians, two Kurdish local officials and their driver, and injuring another local official. Sources including SOHR, NPA and Reuters reported three civilians being killed…

Summary

Airstrike (Drone Strike)

Civilians reported killed

Civilians reported injured

Causes of Death / Injury

Heavy weapons and explosive munitions

Turkish Military

View Incident →

Incident Date

Incident Code

Location

مشفى تل رفعت, Tal Rifaat Hospital, Aleppo, Syria

On 16 June 2023, Tal Rifaat Hospital in the northern countryside of Aleppo was allegedly struck by a Turkish artillery strike. The Health Authority in the area reported that four civilians were injured in the strike, including one of the medical staff who works in the hospital, while other sources referred to “members” of the…

Summary

Civilians reported injured

Causes of Death / Injury

Heavy weapons and explosive munitions

Turkish Military

View Incident →

Incident Date

Incident Code

Location

village of Shourik, Al Hassakah, Syria

Four civilians were injured by alleged Turkish drone strikes on the village of Shourik on June 14, 2023. North Press Agency reported that a Turkish drone carried out a strike near a cement factory in the village of Shourik resulting in casualties. A medical source told North Press that an injured man named Ahmad Saleh…

Summary

Airstrike (Drone Strike)

IDP or Refugee Camp

Civilians reported injured

Causes of Death / Injury

Heavy weapons and explosive munitions

Turkish Military

View Incident →

← 1 … 34 35 36 37 38 … 162 →

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 […]