A German internationalist is among the numerous people wounded in the Turkish drone attack on the Tishrin Dam near Manbij on Saturday.

Jakob Rihn is a physiotherapist from Brandenburg and has been supporting the health committee of the Democratic Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) as a humanitarian aid worker for two years. Since yesterday, he has been participating in the civil vigil, which is taking place in protest against the ongoing attacks by Turkey and allied mercenaries.

Rihn told the Kurdish television channel Ronahî TV that he wanted to document the situation on the ground for a call to end the aggression on the vital dam facility. Two bombs fired by a Turkish combat drone went off in quick succession in the middle of a crowd. Four people were killed and 15 others were injured, some of them seriously.

Jakob Rihn suffered various shrapnel injuries to his face and left side of his body, including his leg, as a result of the attack. He demands an immediate end to the attacks as well as a no-fly zone so that the people there have the opportunity to build a new Syria.

Twelve killed and 74 injured at Tishrin in three days

After Saturday’s attack, the number of people killed in Turkish air and drone strikes on the vigil at Tishrin Dam since last Wednesday has risen to twelve, and the number of injured to 74. The autonomous administration fears even more deaths, as the condition of some wounded is critical and they could not be evacuated to hospitals because ambulances were also bombed. On the first day of the peaceful initiative, the civilians partaking in the action were targeted by a deadly drone strike on a convoy. In the days that followed, the Turkish army and its mercenaries also attacked car convoys and the dam. Several people were killed and injured in these attacks as well.

Vigil at the Tishrin Dam under intense attack

The vigil at the Tishrin Dam was launched by the People's Councils in the DAANES – also in solidarity with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who are defending the dam against occupation attempts by Turkey and its proxy force SNA.

The Turkish and jihadist occupation forces launched their first attacks on the dam on December 8, 2024, the day of the overthrow of Syrian long-term ruler Bashar al-Assad. Turkey and its allies aim to push the SDF back from the western side of the Euphrates in order to be able to attack Kobanê, which lies to the east of it, more easily. The dam has been out of operation for weeks, leaving almost half a million people in Manbij, Kobanê and other areas of the DAANES without access to electricity and water. In addition, there is a risk of a dam burst due to the severe damage caused by Turkish shelling – which could trigger a disaster with effects as far as Iraq. Nevertheless, appeals to the international community to take measures to protect the energy facility and to end Turkish military violence were largely ignored.