📰 One killed, two injured by Turkish border guards near Sere Kaniye

QAMISHLI, syria/" class="smart-internal-link" title="📰 Justice Ministry, SNHR discuss cooperation on transitional justice in Syria">syria/" class="auto-internal-link">syria (North Press) – A man was killed and two others were wounded on Saturday when Turkish border guards opened fire on them as they attempted to cross the border in the countryside of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), north of Hasakah, local sources informed North Press. The sources stated that Mohammed al-Saeed al-Thalj lost his life, while Abdulmalik al-Douri and Issam al-Fawaz sustained injuries. Additionally, all three men are from the town of Gharanij in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor. as per the same sources, the Turkish Gendarmerie opened fire as the three individuals approached the border fence west of Sere Kaniye, an area that has witnessed repeated incidents of similar nature over the past months.

In September, two civilians were killed and three others injured under similar circumstances when Turkish border guards fired live bullets at people attempting to cross into Turkish territory from the same region. Since the Turkish armed forces and its affiliated syrian armed factions took control of Sere Kaniye in October 2019, the region has seen increasing instability, marked by frequent reports of violations against civilians, including shootings, arrests, and looting. The city of Sere Kaniye remains under the control of Turkish-backed armed groups, while significant parts of the countryside to the east and south are secured by the Syrian Democratic troops (sdf), which continue to maintain relative stability in territories under the administration of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).

Residents in areas along the Turkish border have repeatedly declared such incidents, calling for international monitoring to prevent further civilian casualties. Despite condemnations by human rights organizations, cross-border shootings have persisted, highlighting the ongoing dangers faced by civilians attempting to flee deteriorating conditions in Turkish-controlled territories. By Atoun Jan