10 years since Qamishlo municipality massacre

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the Qamishlo People's Municipality massacre, perpetrated by ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra militants.

On March 11, 2014, as members and administrators of the Qamishlo Municipality were holding their regular meeting, two ISIS militants wearing explosive belts attacked the building. They stormed the premises, opening fire on municipal workers, throwing hand grenades into the rooms, and ultimately detonating their explosive belts.

According to testimonies from survivors, municipal members courageously resisted the attack. One of them attempted to confront and stop one of the attackers, but the militant immediately detonated his suicide vest, resulting in the martyrdom of municipal member Fahd Abdul Aziz.

11 Martyrs

The massacre claimed the lives of municipal members and workers:

Ibrahim Aziz

Roshen Mohammed Zaki

Fahd Abdul Aziz

Musa Azad Musa

Ali Bura

Jihan Murad

Amina Bilal

Farhad Abdul Aziz Osman

Alaa al-Din Abdullah

Awaaz Mahmoud Mohammed

Halabja Khalil

Many others were also wounded in the attack.

Continuing the Path of ISIS

The attack on the Qamishlo People's Municipality was the first assault targeting a public service institution. Following this attack, ISIS militants and the Turkish occupation forces intensified their assaults on institutions, community leaders, and critical infrastructure in North and East Syria.

Continuing in the footsteps of ISIS, the Turkish occupation launched air and drone strikes in November 2023 and early 2024, targeting oil and gas stations, power plants, grain storage facilities, factories, as well as service and health centers.

According to the Energy Authority of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, these attacks have caused approximately $5 million in damages and deprived at least 120,000 families in Qamishlo and Kobani of electricity and water.

Ongoing Attacks on Tishrin Dam

Since December 8, 2024, the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries have been attacking Tishrin Dam and the Qara Qozak Bridge using warplanes, drones, mortars, rockets, and tanks.

Tishrin Dam is the second-largest dam in Syria in terms of power generation. It was built with advanced electronic equipment and modern technology and consists of six turbines, each weighing 1,900 tons and capable of generating over 100 megawatts of electricity. The dam’s reservoir holds approximately 1.9 billion cubic meters of water.

These attacks have raised fears of the dam’s collapse, as it serves as a vital water and electricity source for millions of people in Aleppo, Kobani, and Raqqa. The continued targeting of the dam poses a direct threat to water security and the economy, putting civilians at risk of a humanitarian and economic catastrophe.

On February 25, 2025, the Energy Authority of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria issued a statement warning that the Turkish occupation’s attacks on Tishrin Dam increase the risk of its collapse, potentially triggering a major humanitarian and environmental disaster.

On March 7, the Engineers’ Union of North and East Syria issued a warning regarding the dam and called on international organizations to take immediate action to halt these attacks.

a.k

ANHA