A drone strike by the Türkiye-Syrian National Army (SNA) coalition that hit a Kurdish Red Crescent ambulance on January 18, 2025, in northern Syria is an apparent war crime, Human Rights Watch said today. The strike hit an ambulance that was transporting a civilian wounded by an earlier drone strike that day on protesters at Tishreen Dam, witnesses said. The attacks that day killed six civilians, including a well-known Kurdish actor, and injured at least 16 others, ANF News reported.
An account affiliated with the SNA published a drone camera video of the strike on people at the dam, though Human Rights Watch could not determine whether the drone strikes were conducted by Turkish Armed Forces or the SNA. Protesters have been gathering around the Tishreen Dam to deter ongoing attacks by the Türkiye-SNA coalition in its vicinity amid fears the dam could collapse. At least four reported attacks by the Türkiye-SNA coalition during January have struck protesters near this site, killing 20 and injuring over 120, according to the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
"The SNA and Turkish forces have demonstrated a clear and troubling pattern of unlawful attacks against civilians and civilian objects and even appear to be celebrating them," said Hiba Zayadin, senior Middle East and North Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Türkiye, as the SNA's main backer, has an obligation to rein in the SNA's abusive behavior or risk complicity in their crimes."
Human Rights Watch interviewed two participants of the January 18 protest and the ambulance driver. Human Rights Watch verified videos of the strike on the dam protest, which occurred between 1 and 2 p.m., and its aftermath. Human Rights Watch could not identify any visible military targets or weapons in the immediate vicinity of the protest, based on three videos Human Rights Watch verified and witness statements.
"We went to Tishreen Dam peacefully to stand against Turkish aggression and their affiliated factions, to protect our land, and demand an end to the targeting of water, electricity, and infrastructure," Armanj Mohammed, 37, from Qamishli, told Human Rights Watch. "We were singing and dancing to Kurdish songs with the participation of women, children, and the elderly. There was no military or SDF presence at the protest site." The protesters were about five kilometers from the front line.
Drone footage published by an SNA-affiliated Telegram channel on January 22, verified by Human Rights Watch, shows two small air-dropped munitions explode in a crowd of men and women at Tishreen Dam, where they were protesting and doing a traditional Kurdish dance in a line. A caption says: "The armed drone sends congratulations and blessings to the SDF celebrations at Tishreen Dam."
Video of the attack aftermath posted to social media channels on and after January 18 show unarmed protesters rushing to attend to people who are wounded or apparently dead.
"The scene was terrifying and indescribable," said Jiyan Khalil, a reporter and presenter from JinTV who was filming the protest. "There was no prior warning before the bombing. The attack was extremely brutal and directly targeted the civilians twice in succession."
The Turkish government has accused the SDF and People's Protection Units (YPG) of using civilians as human shields at the Tishreen Dam.
Human Rights Watch spoke with one of the ambulance drivers for the Kurdish Red Crescent who rushed to the dam following the attack. He said, "While en route to the dam, just before Huriya village about 30 kilometers from the dam, a civilian car signaled us to stop, saying they had an injured girl."
He transferred the girl, who he said had an abdominal wound following the attack at Tishreen Dam, into the ambulance. "Shortly after I re-entered the ambulance, we were struck by a drone attack. The explosion forced the ambulance doors to open and shattered both its windows and doors."
He told Human Rights Watch that his colleague suffered a minor injury from a metal fragment to his hand. "The second ambulance arrived at the scene, and the injured girl was transported to the emergency hospital along with us. Thankfully, everyone was safe."
Two photographs posted on Telegram on January 18 show the aftermath of the attack on the ambulance, which appeared damaged and stopped in the middle of the road with its doors ajar. The ambulance was clearly marked as such and should have been apparent from the air. Human Rights Watch was unable to verify the exact location of the photographs, which were reportedly taken on a road between the Tishreen Dam and the city of Tabqa.
The Tishreen Dam has become the focal point of fighting between the Türkiye-SNA coalition and SDF since December 2024. The dam has not functioned since December 10, when it was damaged during clashes, depriving over 413,000 people of water and electricity in the Manbij and Kobani areas, according to the Northeast Syria (NES) NGO Forum, a coalition of international organizations operating in the northeast. Urgent repairs are required to restore essential services and protect livelihoods.
The International Committee of the Red Cross warned that if the dam were damaged, "the destruction and humanitarian consequences of such release of flood waters would be devastating and could cause significant damage to the environment."
Since late October 2023, Turkish strikes on Kurdish-held areas of northeast Syria have resulted in water and electricity disruptions for millions of people. The repeated strikes on civilian infrastructure have left many essential facilities, including water and electrical power stations, oil installations, and gas plants in ruins, leaving hospitals, bakeries, and water facilities inoperable.
The Turkish Armed Forces and SNA have a poor human rights record in areas of northern Syria under Turkish occupation. Human Rights Watch has found that SNA factions and other groups, including members of the Turkish Armed Forces and intelligence agencies have abducted, unlawfully arrested, and detained people, including children; committed sexual violence and torture with little accountability; and engaged in looting, theft of land and housing, and extortion.
International humanitarian law (IHL), or the laws of war, requires warring parties to collect and care for the wounded and sick. Ambulances, like hospitals, have special protection. They may not be targeted if being used to provide medical care of any kind, including to treat enemy fighters. Ambulances and other medical transportation must be allowed to function and be protected in all circumstances.
Structures such as dams are also specially protected objects under IHL. IHL states that dams and similar installations must be treated with "particular care" in conflict, to avoid the release of dangerous flood waters resulting in severe losses among the civilian population.
Even if a dam is used for or close to military operations, attacks must be proportionate, and all feasible precautions must be taken to avoid excessive incidental damage, as well as injury or loss of civilian life. Safe passage must be assured for emergency medical services to carry out evacuations to treat the wounded and for staff to conduct essential repairs.
