Meghan Bodette
On October 16, Turkish forces shelled Ain Issa Camp, killing a displaced child. Hatem Hazim, just 13 years old, was playing near the tent where his family lived when he was targeted. He died of his injuries hours later in a hospital in Raqqa after the amputation of one of his legs.
Turkish authorities all but admitted to the murder. A Tweet posted on the official account of the Turkish Ministry of Defense the same day claimed that their forces had “neutralized terrorists” outside of the area Turkey invaded and occupied during Operation Peace Spring.
This was far from the first time that Turkey has attacked displaced civilians in the countries where it intervenes in the name of so-called national security.
According to Human Rights Watch, Turkish border guards have regularly shot and killed Syrians attempting to cross into Turkish territory. Last December, a Turkish bombardment of Shehba, which is populated by IDPs from Afrin, killed eight children and injured several others. In Iraq, Turkey regularly targets Makhmour Camp, which is home to Kurdish refugees who fled a scorched-earth campaign of village demolitions in Turkey in the 1990s.
The ongoing shelling of Ain Issa from the first Turkish violation of the October 17 Ceasefire Agreement, which was negotiated by the United States last year to bring an end to Operation Peace Spring.
In June, a Turkish drone strike targeted a civilian home in the village of Helinj, killing feminist activist and former Kobani co-mayor Zehra Berkal. A report from the Council on Foreign Relations implicates Turkey in more than 100 ceasefire violations in Tel Tamr — a historically Assyrian Christian region well outside of the Peace Spring area of operations.
The American reaction to the killing of Hazim shows why Turkey believes it can get away with murder. One day after the incident, US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey issued a weak condemnation that did not name the actor responsible for the shelling.
“The United States condemns the death of a Syrian child yesterday near Ain Issa, Syria due to apparent artillery fire,” the statement read. “We extend our sympathies to the family and loved ones of the child and urge all parties to protect civilians. This tragic incident demonstrates the continued risk to civilians posed by escalation in this area by any party.”
Rather than appeal to the US-brokered agreement that specifically proscribes certain Turkish actions in North and East Syria, Jeffrey called on all parties to support a political process under Security Council Resolution 2254—which does not recognize the existence of the AANES and SDF.
Turkey has no right to bomb refugee camps far from the front lines. It would not even be in a position to do so had the United States and other stakeholders done more to ensure that it stayed within the terms of the botched “safe zone” agreement negotiated in the summer of 2019. If the United States is serious about holding Turkey to its diplomatic commitments this time, it must at least speak up clearly and unequivocally when those commitments are violated.
This can start with public honesty about who is violating the ceasefire, and who is paying the price. When Turkey attacks civilians in North and East Syria, the United States needs to say so, instead of making vague appeals to “all parties” and invoking irrelevant diplomatic efforts.
Violations should lead to material accountability measures. There is perhaps more political will than ever to block arms transfers to Turkey. North and East Syria is just one of many regions where Erdogan’s regime has chosen illegitimate and unnecessary escalation, which is enabled by American weapons and aid. Tangible consequences could pressure Turkey to uphold its end of the deal, and ensure that US resources are not going towards destructive and destabilizing attacks on civilians.
American policymakers should not wait for more innocent people to be killed to hold Turkey accountable. Taking action now may prevent Turkey from abandoning the ceasefire altogether and trying to annex and occupy even more territory—a move that would have even more devastating humanitarian and security consequences.