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

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Causes of Death / Injury

Strike Status

Civilian Harm Status

Belligerent Assessment

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969 incidents

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Incident Date

Incident Code

Location

قرية صيدا, Seyda village, Ain Issa, Raqqa, Syria

One civilian was killed and one civilian was injured as a result of an attack on July 26th 2022 by an alleged Turkish drone strike struck Seyda village, in the Ain Isa district, Raqqa, Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the drone hit a car with a missile. Hawar News reported that…

Summary

Airstrike (Drone Strike)

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

تل زيوان, Tal Ziwan, Al Hassakah, Syria

On July 25th 2022, an alleged Turkish shelling left civilians wounded in Tal Ziwan village, northeast of Al Qamishli, in Al Hassakah, Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that an officer in the Syrian regime forces was injured in this bombardment, carried out by Turkish forces stationed at the border outposts in this…

Summary

Civilians reported injured

Causes of Death / Injury

Heavy weapons and explosive munitions

Turkish Military

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Incident Date

Incident Code

Location

آيا صوفيا, Aya Sophia, Hama, Syria

Two civilians were killed and up to 12 others were wounded when alleged Turkish-supported militants or the Syrian regime launched drones or rockets at the Aya Sophia Church in the city of al-Suqaylabiyah on July 24, 2022. Step News Agency quoted the Syrian regime-controlled news agency “SANA” who reported that "terrorists" missiles struck a religious…

Summary

Airstrike (Drone Strike), 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

قرية مجيبيره, Mujbayrah village, Al Hassakah, Syria

One civilian was killed by a reported Turkish artillery and rocket fire when it struck Mujbayrah village, Tel Tamr in Al Hassakah, Syria, on July 24th 2022. Four to five others, including two women, were injured. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the bombardment resulted in the death of one civilian in Mujbayrah…

Summary

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

الاسدية, Al Asadiya, Al Hassakah, Syria

Four civilians, including two children and their father, were injured in alleged Turkish shelling of al-Asadiya village in Zarkan district on July 24, 2022. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the bombardment resulted in the injury of eight civilians, including a woman and two children, in the area from Abu Rasin (Zarkan) to…

Summary

Civilians reported injured

Military actors reported killed

Causes of Death / Injury

Heavy weapons and explosive munitions

Turkish Military

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Incident Date

Incident Code

Location

شورك, Shurak, Al Hassakah, Syria

Several civilians were injured who were passersby to an alleged Turkish drone strike on a vehicle on Qamishli-Tirbespi Road, in Al-Hasakah, Rojava, north-east Syria on Friday July 22nd 2022. The vehicle was reported to have been a military vehicle belonging to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The attack was also said to have been targeting…

Summary

Airstrike (Drone Strike)

Civilians reported injured

Military actors reported killed

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 […]