Turkish Bombing Kills Child in Syria’s Kobani, Forces Family to Flee Without Funeral

By Kardo Roj

KOBANI, Syria (North Press) – On the morning of February 8, Aisha Ismail was preparing food for her family when her life changed in an instant. Instead of finishing breakfast, she woke up in a hospital bed, injured and disoriented, after Turkish shelling struck her home in the countryside of Kobani, northern Syria.

The attack, which targeted the village of Ashma, southwest of Kobani, injured Ismail along with eight children. Turkish drones and heavy artillery bombarded the area, forcing residents to flee.

Before the Shelling

Aisha Ismail (28) recounted the terrifying moments leading up to the attack. She had been cooking when a loud explosion shook the house. Rushing to the rooftop, she saw shells raining down on the village. Realizing the danger, she quickly gathered her family and went downstairs for safety.

Moments later, a shell struck their home. Thrown to the ground by the impact, she regained consciousness to find her daughter, Jilan Hamo, and her son, Abdullah Hamo, both injured.

“The sound of the drone was clear before the bombing,” she recalled. “Then a shell landed on us. When we tried to evacuate the injured, another shell hit our house.”

As the bombardment intensified, the family was forced to evacuate. The wounded were taken to the hospital in Kobani for urgent treatment.

“The Bombs Fell While We Were Drinking Tea”

Salih Ismail Hamo (61), grandfather of Jilan Hamo, was working on his farm in Ashma when the attack began. Returning home for lunch, he sat down with his children and grandchildren.

“I heard a jet fighter to the south and a drone circling above us,” he recalled. “The drone moved south, then turned around and bombed us.”

Salih was drinking tea when the first strike hit. Two of his sons were injured, along with his daughter-in-law, Aisha Ibrahim (30), who was struck by shrapnel while holding her two young children.

Ibrahim described the horror of that day. Five family members were wounded, including her husband’s younger siblings, Ibrahim Saleh Hamo (16) and Huda Saleh Hamo (17).

“I lost my two-year-old daughter, Jilan, and my son Abdullah (4) suffered a severe cut to a main artery in his arm,” she said. “Shrapnel remains lodged in my head.”

A Mother’s Worst Nightmare

When Aisha Ibrahim regained consciousness in Al-Amal Hospital in Kobani, she was unaware that her daughter had died.

“I saw Abdullah crying, his arm injured. I kept asking about Jilan, but they told me she was fine,” she said.

Doctors transferred Ibrahim to a hospital in Raqqa, where they found shrapnel embedded in her skull. Due to the risks, she will have to wait two months before doctors can determine if surgery is possible.

Her son Abdullah underwent surgery on his arm, but Jilan, injured by shrapnel in her abdomen, did not survive.

“They finally told me the truth after days of asking,” she said. “I thought she had recovered and gone home.”

“What Crime Did These Children Commit?”

Aisha Ismail mourns not only the loss of her daughter but also the inability to hold a funeral. The ongoing shelling has displaced them from their village, making traditional burial rites impossible.

Salih Hamo confirmed that his granddaughter, Jilan, had initially survived the blast, undergoing emergency surgery in Al-Amal Hospital. However, she later succumbed to hemorrhaging.

“The first bomb that hit us came from a drone,” he said. “It had a camera—it knew it was targeting women and children.”

He detailed how the bombing continued after the initial strike. A nearby mosque was hit, followed by more than 30 artillery shells raining down on the village. Some failed to explode, leaving the area littered with unexploded ordnance.

The shelling also injured four of Salih’s children, who had been herding sheep at the time. Some of the animals were killed in the attack.

“What did these young children do to deserve this?” he asked. “My granddaughter was only two years old. My grandson’s main artery was severed. One of the herding children lost his legs. There’s still shrapnel in their bodies.”

A Village Abandoned

Once home to around 140 families, Ashma is now nearly deserted. Most residents have fled to nearby villages or the city of Kobani. Even after they left, Salih said, their house was bombed again.

His family now lives in the Kaniya Kurdan neighborhood in Kobani, unable to return or even bury Jilan in her home village.

“The funeral should have been in the village,” he said, “but it’s still being bombed.”

Salih added that the shelling has not only targeted Kurdish villages but Arab ones as well. Villages such as Kharous, Turman, Kon Aftar, Khlomer, Jamak, Khaliljik, Boghaz, Kharaza, and Kharab Atto have all been under repeated attack. In Kon Aftar, two children were reportedly killed.

Appeal for Justice

Salih Hamo called on the international community to intervene and stop the attacks. He urged human rights organizations to take action to protect civilians.

“Since the fall of the Assad regime, a teacher and eleven students have been killed in Kobani due to Turkish shelling,” he said.

The western and southern countryside of Kobani continues to suffer from indiscriminate artillery fire by Turkish-backed factions. Drones also regularly target villages near the Qara-Qozak Bridge and Tishrin Dam.

“We need justice,” Salih pleaded. “We need protection.”