In her new report, Violations Documentation Center in Northern Syria (Vdc-Nsy) reveals that the rates of violence, crime and infighting incidents between factions have increased during September 2020 in areas occupied by Turkish forces in northern Syria. In addition to the Turkish occupation of the two safe cities of Ras al-Ain/ Serekaniye and Tel Abyad/ Gire Spi, which created a human tragedy after forcing nearly 375,000 residents to flee and leave their homes and properties behind. The area which became a safe haven for the radical groups backed by Ankara and ISIS leaders and elements in addition to human rights violations, torture crimes, arrests, field executions, seizing of homes, land and property, indiscriminate bombing and the use of internationally forbidden weapons, as well as targeting medical personnel and journalists.
Vdc-Nsy has documented the following violations in September 2020:
Western of Euphrates areas/ Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch:
- 18 persons were killed, including three children and one was killed under torture.
- 6 cases of explosions/ IEDs, landmines.
- 70 persons were arrested, 21 of them were tortured.
- 22 persons were kidnapped
- 25 persons were injured, including 6 children, due to raiding homes, explosions and assaults by the militants.
- 6 persons were injured due to bombing caused by the Turkish forces.
- 4 incidents of factions’ infighting inside and outside the cities.
- One person was killed and 8 others were injured by Turkish border guards.
Eastern Euphrates areas/ Peace Spring, SDF and Syrian government
Last update of the numbers, casualty statistics as a result of the Turkish attacks that have started in October 9, 2019:
The number of civilians killed due to the Turkish attacks has reached 643, including 70 children and 58 women, while the number of wounded is 3199, including 208 children and 192 women. At least 44 persons were killed under torture or due to poor detention conditions. - 640 persons were arrested, including 106 torture cases, in addition to 106 ransom cases.
- 73 SDF fighters were captured by Turkey, their fate is still unknown.
- 21 schools were totally destroyed due after Turkey targeted them, while 810 schools were disrupted, where 86 thousand students were denied education.
- 23 medical points and hospitals were bombed. At least 7 medics were injured, and 5 of them were killed, including 3 field-execution cases by the “National Army” factions.
- The Turkish attacks caused physical disabilities to almost 202 persons (including 48 civilians and 158 SDF fighters). 69 others were physically disabled in the bombing attacks in Tel Abyad and Ras al-Ain region following the Turkish incursion, as the region was safe from such attacks during the period of the Self-Administration rule. In addition, 109 persons were physically disabled due to unexploded landmines, including 41 children and 38 women.
- 4 journalists were killed, while 13 others were injured. Turkish-backed militants assassinated the father of one journalist after they seized his house and the house of 8 other journalists in Tel Abyad and Ras al-Ain region.
Summary of the violations recorded from February 2018 until the end of September 2020 in areas occupied by Turkey in NS:
- 2,200 civilians were killed, 129 of them were killed under torture.
- 6890 persons were arrested, 1006 from them were tortured. 4,080 persons were released, while the fate of the rest of the detainees is still unknown.
- 1070 were kidnapped for ransom purposes.
- The number of Syrians killed by the Turkish border guards has reached 467, as of the end of Sep 2020, including 87 children and 59 women. While the number of injured has reached 511. Most of them were trying to cross the border many were the residents or farmers of the villages and towns on the Syrian-Turkish border.
- Total of 106 schools and others public facilities were turned into military headquarters.
