Turkey has bombarded Kurdish-led North and East Syria hundreds of times since the start of the year, killing 11 civilians in the first six months of 2024, according to the local human rights monitor Hevdesti (Synergy Association for Victims). A child is among the dead this year, while 51 civilians have been injured. Dozens of critical facilities, such as health centres, power transfer stations and oil and gas fields were deliberately targeted and destroyed, according to the report, preventing the local population from accessing electricity, water and gas for months on end.
Overall, Hevdesti has documented the killing of 111 civilians, including 13 children and 10 women, and the injury of 364 others (including 31 children and 19 women) as a result of Turkish attacks since the start of 2022.
In a statement introducing the report, entitled ‘Death Shadows Us’, the Syria-based NGO said: “The scenes of civilians’ suffering are repeated with every strike Turkey carries out on areas of [North and East Syria]. These stories are not just figures; they are rather a painful embodiment of the exorbitant cost paid by… civilians as a result of the Turkish attacks that disregard humanitarian laws.”
There was particular devastation to infrastructure as Turkey launched waves of punitive bombing beginning in October 2023. The report further documents damage to residential areas, service and health facilities and critical installations, in addition to small factories and firms. As a result of the bombing at that time, more than a million people were cut off from electricity, while 1.4 million people had only limited access to safe drinking water. Damage to medical facilities disrupted medical activities in 38 locations, including disrupting the oxygen supply to 12 hospitals.
The report goes on to cite other rights monitors and watchdogs including Human Rights Watch, who are quoted as saying: “Turkish drone strikes on Kurdish-held areas of northeast Syria damaged critical infrastructure and resulted in water and electricity disruptions for millions of people.” The raids also directly targeted US-funded and -facilitated projects, marking a new departure as part of an ongoing escalation.
According to Hevdesti, “The advance in the scale of Turkish aggressions on areas in northeast Syria indicates Turkey’s intention to destroy the region’s economy and deprive the residents from their basic rights and services.” This is compounded by the potential loss of over $1 billion in oil revenues and repair costs, severely impairing the region’s ability to provide basic humanitarian services.
In its conclusion, Hevdesti calls on Turkey to respect the principle of distinction, by refraining from targeting civilian infrastructure and targets; to respect the principle of proportionality, which prohibits launching attacks on legitimate military targets which may be expected to cause incidental civilian casualties; and to respect the right to health, the right to life, and the right to an adequate standard of living.
“In all circumstances, the Turkish government must immediately cease attacks on civilians, infrastructure, and critical facilities, and respect international human rights law,” the NGO stated. “Moreover, it should initiate an impartial and thorough investigation into any civilian casualties resulting from its operations.”
