Parts of the civilian infrastructure have been damaged or destroyed in recent attacks by Turkey and jihadist auxiliary forces on the town of Zirgan (Abu Rasen) in northern Syria. The public telephone network has collapsed as a transmission tower and base station were targeted under artillery fire. Bombing has likewise targeted the power grid, public buildings, the only health facility, a school in southern Zirgan, and numerous residential areas. These are obviously war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Zirgan is located about thirty kilometers east of the city of Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ain), which has been fully occupied since October 2019, and is repeatedly attacked by Turkey and its allied Islamists. On Friday, occupation forces fired over 320 shells at Zirgan and surrounding villages, according to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The impacts caused massive property damage. The telephone and Internet networks no longer work, and electricity cannot be supplied to large parts of the town with more than 7,000 civilians in the center alone. The attacks dramatically curtailed rights to health, education, food, water and shelter, which could lead to mass displacement.

SDF: Collective punishment policy of the Turkish occupation army

"The continued indiscriminate shelling of populated areas has turned the region into a war zone and is part of the Turkish occupation army's collective punishment policy against the population," the SDF said in a statement on Saturday. Turkey's actions also underscore the brutality and lack of distinction between military and civilian targets through the use of long-range and prohibited weapons, it said.

"Turkey's insistence on moving the battlefield to populated areas and giving civilians the choice of being killed or displaced is considered a serious war crime. We call on all international human rights institutions to investigate Turkish crimes since 2018 and bring those responsible to justice in the relevant courts. All sides are urged to take action against the brutal crimes committed by the Turkish occupation forces against the population," SDF said.

Population without contact with the outside world

A reporter from the Rojava-based news agency Hawarnews (ANHA) documented the destruction in Zirgan caused by Turkish shelling. The images show bullet holes from the shells in houses, public buildings and streets, completely destroyed shelters and damaged electricity poles. It is still unclear whether people have been harmed as a result of the attacks. Contact with the outside world is not possible as telephone connections are down.