Turkish war crimes cause ‘human catastrophe’ leaving a million people without water in Syria

Under cover of Israel’s genocidal crimes against Palestinians in Gaza, Turkey has intensified its own efforts to force an entire population into submission in the last year. NATO’s second-largest army has been destroying civilian infrastructure in northern Syria in a campaign that has left over a million people with a severe water shortage. And as a new BBC investigation documents, this is likely a “severe violation of international law”.

There are a number of similarities between Turkey’s actions and Israel’s. The ethno-religious nationalist regimes in both countries, for example, have a record of ethnic cleansing and illegal occupation under their belts. And they both prefer to use their massive military machinery over diplomacy in efforts to defeat those who challenge their power.

Collective punishment of a civilian population. This time, in Syria.

Like Israel, Turkey has long subjugated a native population. And British colonialism played a role in setting things up there too. Around the First World War, the UK and France artificially divided the Middle East between themselves (and the emerging state of Turkey), leaving people like the Kurds stateless. Turkey has repressed its Kurdish population almost ever since.

A left-wing Kurdish-led revolution emerged in northern Syria at the start of the country’s civil war. And its fighters defeated Daesh (Isis/Isil) despite Turkey putting up obstacles. So Turkey stepped up its efforts to suppress the movement at home and abroad. As the Canary reported in 2018, the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal found that Turkey had committed numerous war crimes during this campaign.

Turkey, like Israel, seeks to demonise its opponents by calling them terrorists. Accordingly, autocratic Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calls the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) a “terror state”. But in reality, it’s Turkey that’s been terrorising the AANES. And the BBC‘s latest investigation has used a variety of sources to confirm the scale of the damage Turkey has caused by attacking civilian infrastructure there. As it reported:

Turkish air strikes in drought-struck north-east Syria have cut off access to electricity and water for more than a million people, in what experts say may be a violation of international law.

Since Turkey illegally occupied parts of northern Syria in 2019, the key Alouk water station has been under the occupation’s control. Two years later, the UN criticised the regular interruption of the water supply to the people of the AANES. This combined with a severe drought to worsen conditions in the region. Then, in October 2023, Turkey’s foreign minister insisted that “infrastructure, superstructure and energy facilities” in the hands of progressive Kurdish forces would be “legitimate targets” for attacks. Accordingly, Turkish planes targeted electricity infrastructure, which cut the power supply to Alouk. It has been out of action since then.

Another Western ally committing war crimes against a civilian population with impunity

If the Gaza genocide has taught the world anything, it’s that Western allies can commit war crimes with impunity. And that’s precisely the case with Turkey. Because just as international opposition has been unable to stop Israel or hold it to account, it has been equally impotent at stopping Turkey’s crimes.

As the BBC reports, “Turkey carried out more than 100 attacks between October 2019 and January 2024 on oil fields, gas facilities and power stations” in AANES. The investigation includes comments from legal experts. For example, a February 2024 UN commission said Turkey’s infrastructure attacks “could amount to war crimes because they deprived civilians of access to water”. Barrister Aarif Abraham, meanwhile, suggested Turkey’s campaign “could constitute a severe violation of international law”. And lawyer Patrick Kroker stressed that “the indications that international law was violated here are so strong that they should be investigated by a prosecutorial authority”.

Turkey is ‘using the water crisis just like a military campaign’

The water board co-director of the city of Al-Hasakah told the BBC “north-east Syria is facing a humanitarian catastrophe”. At the start of the BBC‘s documentary, a man says [1:48] “we’re dying here without water”. Towards the end, meanwhile, a woman says Turkey is “slowly killing people by cutting off the water”.

Things have deteriorated significantly as a result of the cutting of Alouk water station. Tankers bringing water in from elsewhere are an expensive, temporary, and insufficient solution. Well owners say that the water levels are down 80% from last year. And there are scenes and words of desperation from the struggling inhabitants of the region.

Near the end of the documentary, a local woman explains that Turkey’s attack “was on the civilian population”. She adds:

Turkey wants to put pressure on the local authorities, to provoke people, get them on the streets protesting. Turkey is using these tactics against us. They use the water situation against us, just like the military campaign.