Stopping Turkish aggression against Kurdish areas and civilians is a moral and legal task

Since Wednesday, October 23, 2024, the Turkish state has been bombing Şengal (Iraq), the center of the Yazidis who were massacred by ISIS, as well as civilian residential areas in northeastern Syria. Claiming an attack carried out by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Ankara as justification, Turkey has been conducting random bombardments on civilian residential areas in northeastern Syria, targeting bakeries, flour warehouses, gas stations, highways, oil wells, and power stations with drones, warplanes, and howitzers.

The bombings have targeted the cities in Northeast-Syria and Rojava Kurdistan like Kobanê, Amude, Qamişlo, Rimelan, and the town of Tel Rifaat along the Turkish border. These attacks have impacted civilians, especially women and children. Over four days of attacks by Turkey, 22 civilians and two security personnel have lost their lives, with more than 40 civilians and 9 security personnel injured.

Mazloum Abdi, the General Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), has stated, “They claim that the attackers entered Turkey from Syrian territory. Our forces have no connection with this attack, and none of the attackers crossed over from Syrian territory. Turkey cannot prove this. We decided not to engage in operations within Turkey and Northern Kurdistan, limiting our efforts to Syrian territory. We have often tried to resolve our issues through dialogue.” The People’s Defense Forces (HPG) claimed responsibility for the Ankara attack in a statement on October 25, clarifying that there is no connection to northeastern Syria or Şengal.

Using “terrorism” and “threats from the southern borders” as pretexts, Turkey is applying the same policies in all areas where Kurds are present. Just as in Efrin, Tel Abyad, and Serekaniye, after launching military operations and occupying these areas in 2018, Turkey alters the demographic structure, constructs Turkish cultural institutions, and dismantles all Kurdish institutions and organizations. In Iraq, conditions have not matured as they have in northeastern Syria, so for now, Turkey is establishing a military presence under the pretense of “eradicating terror.” The main goal of these policies is to expand and implement the borders of Misak-ı Milli (National Pact) through a strategy focused on areas with dense Kurdish populations, implementing a policy aimed at the erasure of Kurds.

The Turkish state conducted similar attacks on January 13, 2024, targeting infrastructure and civilian areas in northeastern Syria. During the attacks on northeastern Syria’s infrastructure on January 13, the Turkish military disabled power stations entirely. Dirbesiye’s power station was hit twice, Amude’s once, Qamishlo’s twice, and Tirbespiye’s twice, rendering four power stations completely inoperable.

The Sewedik power station, which serves as an electricity hub, had all 12 turbines rendered unusable, with all transformers and smaller stations that support the turbines’ operation taken out of commission. The Sewedik gas station, targeted four times by the Turkish forces, was also rendered inoperable, halting all LPG gas production.

The destruction caused by Turkey’s attacks cut electricity for 2,230 villages in Dêrik, Girke Lege, Rimelan, Çilaxa, Tirbespiye, Qamishlo, Amude, Tel Koçer, and Tel Hemis. In the Euphrates Canton, the electricity station supplying power to 300 villages in Ain Issa was rendered inoperative, plunging these villages into darkness.

The power station in Kobanê, supplying 30 MW of electricity to the city center and 360 surrounding villages, was also disabled. Along with Ain Issa and Kobanê, 660 villages connected to these centers were left without electricity.

Tirbespiye was also heavily impacted by these attacks. In Mashuk town, 45 villages, Hilwa 23 villages, Abu Ferah 63 villages, Til Marouf 45 villages, and the neighboring villages of Beyazê Biçuk-Mezin, Gir Sheran, Gir Dahol, Abu Hejara, and Girke Shamo—a total of 182 villages—were left without electricity and water. Only neighborhoods with large generators received electricity for five hours per day.

Water stations and wells that rely on electricity also ceased to function due to the attacks. Of the 450 drinking water wells in the Cizire Canton, only 124 remain active. The Sefan Station, which supplied water to Deir al-Zor, Girke Lege, Çilaxa, Tirbespiye, and Qamişlo, was disabled by the attacks. The Hilêliye water station, serving 75% of Qamişlo’s population, also became inoperable due to targeted power stations, as did the Ceqceq and Uwece stations, which could no longer pump water without electricity.

Education at Risk for Over 865,380 Students During attacks from December 23 to 25, the Turkish state also targeted five schools in Cizire Canton. According to a statement from the Democratic Autonomous Administration’s Education and Learning Committee on December 28, 2023, 712 schools in the Cizire, Euphrates, and Afrin-Shahba Cantons suspended classes, leaving 89,418 students without access to education.

The 2024-2025 academic year started on September 8 for elementary, middle, and high school students, and on October 6 for university students. Around 4,775 students were enrolled in universities in northern and eastern Syria, with 605 students studying specialized fields at teacher training schools, medical academies, and the School of Fine Arts. Over 860,000 elementary, middle, and high school students have started classes, guided by 41,000 teachers in the region’s 4,120 schools. However, due to schools damaged or rendered unusable by the conflict, the actual number of active schools is 4,100. Thus, attacks on the region’s infrastructure undermine regional stability and security, and more than 865,380 students in the region are attempting to continue their education under the threat of Turkish attacks, which prevent healthy learning environments.

Bombardments Begun on October 23, 2024: Turkey targeted border regions such as Kobanê, Amudê, Qamişlo, Rimelan, and Tel Rifaat. Between October 23 and 25, Turkey conducted 99 reconnaissance flights, 13 airstrikes, and 573 artillery shillings, resulting in 685 attacks.

• On October 23, seven workers lost their lives in an attack on the Siwediyah oil station in Kocerate, Derik. The civilian workers who died were Besar El Iwed, Issam Sibeh, Atallah Khider, Fadel El Khedan, Elias Isa, Mehmud El Hisein, and Mizer El Hisein.

• In an October 23 bombing, 47-year-old Mohammed Mohammed lost his life in Tel Rifaat.

• On October 24, Kobanê’s urban and rural areas, public and service centers, and grain storage facilities were bombed. Ahmed Muslim’s machinery factory on the Aleppo road and the grain storage facilities in Rufi village were targeted, leading to the death of worker Hisein El Deas and the injury of seven others.

• On October 25, 8-year-old Ekina Hesino and 50-year-old Mihemed Delf were injured in Til Temir.

• On October 25, infrastructure and villages were targeted in Minbic, with 13 villages northwest and northeast of Minbic bombarded eight times by missiles, four times by drones, and three times by suicide drones.

• On October 25, the power station and a building materials center in Qamişlo were bombed.

• On October 25, the oxygen factory and oil well drilling depot in Rimelan were bombed five times.

• On October 25, three women workers were injured in a bombing targeting a bakery and cheese-yogurt factory in Dêrik.

• On October 26, a pharmacy in the Meyslun neighborhood of Qamişlo was bombed three times.

• On October 26, a point of the internal security forces in Amude was bombed, and those attempting to assist the wounded were targeted in a second attack.

Call for Action

Based on concrete data, this report shows that by targeting infrastructure and civilian areas in northeastern Syria, the Turkish state is committing crimes against civilians.

Turkey seeks to depopulate Kurdish-dominated regions and resettle Syrian refugees from Turkey, just as it has done in other areas under its occupation in northeastern Syria.

We call on the United Nations Secretary General Mr. Guterres and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the EU and the International Coalition against IS to take action against Turkey’s attacks on civilians and recommend that relevant UN mechanisms intervene to prevent further civilian casualties and injuries.

We advocate for an immediate sanction against Turkish military to and a strong condemnation to the Turkish government.

We urge the above-mentioned international institutions to fulfill your responsiveness to protect civilian life and international humanitarian law rules.