Since 8 December 2023, the Turkish state has intensified its assaults on Northern and Eastern Syria, particularly targeting the rural areas of Kobanê and the Tishrin Dam region in the Euphrates Canton.

Using warplanes, armed drones, and heavy weaponry, the Turkish state has not only targeted essential infrastructure such as water and electricity, but has also deliberately attacked civilian settlements and educational institutions.

Among the targets of these attacks were civilians in the rural areas of Kobanê, where schools suffered extensive destruction. Dozens of schools were demolished, leaving hundreds of students without access to education. Additionally, 18 students and teachers were killed by Turkish airstrikes, while eight others sustained injuries.

The Euphrates Canton Autonomous Administration Education and Training Board had a meeting with the board’s co-chair Ehmed Ehmed, who said that primary schools were among the schools targeted by the occupying Turkish state, and emphasized that these attacks had a significant negative impact on the education system.

The single-story Xirûs Primary School in the south of Kobanê, the two-story Cada Mexare Primary School in the southwest, and the single-story Dîkan Primary School in the city of Sirîn were completely destroyed, while the upper floor of the two-story Til El Ebir Primary School in the west of Kobanê was partially damaged.

Ehmed said that the targeting of schools not only deprived hundreds of students of education, but also had a profound impact on the educational infrastructure in the region.