A Turkish combat drone bombed a car on the road between Qamishlo and Dêrik on 18 January. The attack in the village of Maşûqê fatally injured 12-year-old Ehmed Ebdulxanî Salim and civilian Hîsem Hesam. Both have been buried.

Ehmed Ebdulxanî Salim was buried in Til Hemis on Tuesday. Hundreds of people attended the funeral, including representatives of civil society institutions and political parties. The chair of the People's Council of Til Hemis, Emaş El Ebdullah, gave a speech in which he expressed his condolences to the relatives and said: "The Turkish state must understand that the people of Northeast Syria reject the occupation and will never capitulate."

Burial of Hisên Hesam in Dêrik

Hisên Hesam's funeral took place on Wednesday at the Xebat Dêrik cemetery in Dêrik. Hundreds of people from nearby towns attended. Eli Oryan from the Martyrs’ Families Council called for self-defense against Turkey's attacks. Hisên Şerfî from the Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM) said in a speech that the population of the autonomous region of North and East Syria was determined to resist.

At least eight drone attacks since the beginning of the year

Since the beginning of the year, the Turkish state has carried out at least eight illegal drone attacks on Northern and Eastern Syria. Most recently, a base in Rimêlan used for military coordination with the International Coalition against the Islamic State was bombed. A Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter in charge of coordinating with the anti-IS coalition was killed in the attack. Another member of the multi-ethnic military force was wounded.