Violations center documents 2.689 casualties in Syria’s north
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Violations Documentation Center in Northern Syria (VDC-NSY) said on Monday that Turkish forces and their affiliated armed opposition factions, also known as Syrian National Army (SNA), continue to commit humanitarian violations against areas of northern Syria that worsened the situation and the entire region plunged into chaos.
The VDC-NSY documented 8.955 casualties including killing 2.689 people since the beginning of the Turkish incursion into Syria’s north until August 2022.
The arrests number has reached 8.730, 6.340 of them were released, while the fate of the others is still unknown.
The number of people who died under torture in prisons has reached 179. While 536 Syrian refugees, including 103 children and 67 women, were killed at the hands of Turkish soldiers.
Turkey launched three military operations against northern and northeastern regions of Syria. The first was “Euphrates Shield” operation in 2016 where it occupied Jarablus, al-Bab and Azaz, the second was “Olive Branch” operation in 2018 where it occupied Afrin region, and the third was “Peace Spring” in 2019 which resulted in the occupation of the two cities of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) and Tel Abyad with their countryside.
During August, the VDC-NSY documented the following aggressions in northern Syria:
Areas of “Euphrates Shield” and “Olive Branch”:
Eight people were killed due to Turkish shelling, quarrels within inhabited neighborhoods, explosions, and mines.
Five people were killed in mines and VBIEDs.
Ninety-one people were arrested, 55 of them were tortured.
The number of kidnappings and asking for ransoms has reached 42 ones.
Twenty-one people, including seven children were wounded due to shelling, raids, explosions, shrapnel of explosives or as a result of being beaten by armed people.
Forty-three cases of targeting inhabited villages resulted in killing two civilians and wounding 22 others.
Twelve quarrels among the SNA factions that took place within cities also were documented.
Areas of “Peace Spring” and those held by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syrian government:
The toll of the victims of the consistent Turkish attacks since October 9, 2019 till August 31, 2022:
Turkish attacks killed 753 civilians including 103 children and 91 women. 3.910 civilians including 327 children and 269 women were injured.
In addition, 64 people died either under torture or due to bad conditions in prisons.
The VDC-NSY documented that 997 people were arrested, 293 of them were tortured and the families of 291 of them were asked for ransoms.
Seventy-three fighters of the SDF including six female fighters, were arrested by the Turkish forces.
Thirty-five schools were destroyed and 817 schools were disrupted due to the bombardment of the Turkish forces and the SNA factions. In addition, 86.000 students were deprived of education.
Thirty-seven medical facilities, including hospitals were destroyed by Turkish shelling, in addition to killing five medical workers, three of them were field-executed by the SNA factions, as well as 18 other medical workers were injured.
The Turkish attacks also caused 400 people with disabilities, including 140 civilians and 260 SDF fighters, as well as explosions that took place in the towns of Tel Abyad, Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) caused 295 people with disabilities.
In addition, 261 people, including 79 children and 69 women, were disabled as a result of unexploded mines.
Four journalists were killed and 17 were wounded, and parents of a journalist were assassinated by the Turkish forces.
Additionally, the SNA factions seized the houses of 13 journalists in Tel Abyad and Sere Kaniye.
The toll of documented aggressions from February till August 2022:
2.689 civilians were killed, 179 of them were died under torture.
8.730 arrests were documented, 1.890 of them were tortured, 6.340 were released, while the fate of the others is still unknown.
2.330 kidnappings and asking for ransoms were documented.
Turkish soldiers killed 535 Syrian refugees, including 103 children and 70 women till July 31 2022.
In addition, 1.789 people, including those who tried to cross borders, those who are from the villages and towns adjacent to Turkish-Syrian border, farmers, or the owners of lands adjacent to the border were injured by border guards.
The VDC-SNY also documented that 129 schools and educational and service facilities were turned into military headquarters.