Turkish airstrikes in the drought-stricken northeast of Syria have left more than a million people without access to electricity and water, an action that experts suggest may breach international law. 

Between October 2019 and January 2024, Turkey conducted over 100 attacks on oil fields, gas facilities, and power plants in the Kurdish-controlled Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), according to data compiled by BBC World Service. These strikes have worsened the already dire humanitarian situation in a region suffering from years of civil war and four years of severe drought intensified by climate change. Water was already in short supply, but the October 2023 attack on the main power station in Alouk, which supplies water to the region, left it inoperable. The BBC observed on two visits that locals are struggling to access water.

Turkey claimed to have targeted Kurdish separatist groups it considers terrorists' "sources of income and capabilities." It stated that the drought in the region was widely known and that it had gotten worse due to inadequate water management and dilapidated infrastructure. The country had previously been charged by the AANES with attempting to "destroy our people's existence." Over a million people in the Hassakeh province, who previously relied on water from Alouk, now depend on water deliveries pumped from a location about 12 miles (20km) away.

Each day, hundreds of tanker deliveries are made, with the water board giving priority to schools, orphanages, hospitals, and those in greatest need. However, these deliveries still fall short of meeting the needs of everyone. The BBC reported seeing people in Hassakeh city begging the drivers to give them water while they waited for the tanks. “Water is more precious than gold here,” said Ahmad al-Ahmed, a tanker driver. “People need more water. All they want is for you to give them water.” Some acknowledged that they quarrelled about it, and one woman made a threat: “If he [the tanker driver] doesn’t give me water, I’ll puncture his tyres.” 

“Let me tell you frankly, north-east Syria is facing a humanitarian catastrophe,” said Yayha Ahmed, co-director of the city water board. The people in the region have been caught in the crossfire of Syria's ongoing civil war and Turkey's conflict with Kurdish-led forces, who established the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) in 2018. This came after they, with the support of the US-led coalition, expelled the Islamic State (IS) group from the area. Coalition forces remain in place to prevent the resurgence of IS.

Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has condemned the AANES, which lacks official international recognition, referring to it as a "terror state" on Turkey's border. The Turkish government views the Kurdish militia, which forms the backbone of the region's military, as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group that has fought for Kurdish autonomy within Turkey for decades. The PKK is classified as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the EU, the UK, and the US. Between October 2023 and January 2024, electricity infrastructure in three AANES areas—Amouda, Qamishli, and Darbasiyah—was attacked, including the main power plant in Swadiyah. BBC investigations confirmed the damage through satellite imagery, eyewitness videos, news reports, and site visits.

Before and after the January 2024 strikes, satellite imagery of nighttime lights showed a widespread power loss. NASA scientist Ranjay Shrestha, who examined the imagery, stated, "On January 18th.... a significant power outage is evident in the region." Satellite imagery of nighttime lights captured before and after the January 2024 strikes revealed a widespread power outage. NASA scientist Ranjay Shrestha, who analyzed the imagery, noted, "A significant power outage is clearly visible in the region on January 18th."

The UN reported that Turkish forces conducted strikes in Swadiyah, Amuda, and Qamishli, while humanitarian organisations attributed an attack in Darbasiyah to Turkey. Turkey stated that its operations were aimed at the PKK, the People's Protection Units (YPG), and the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD). The YPG, the military arm of the PYD, is the largest militia within the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, and the PYD serves as the primary political party in the AANES. “Civilians or civilian infrastructure were not among our targets and have never been,” Turkey said in a statement to the BBC. But in October last year, the country’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said all “infrastructure, superstructure and energy facilities” that belong to the PKK and the YPG - especially in Iraq and Syria - were “legitimate targets” for its military, security forces and intelligence units.

The impact of the conflict has been worsened by climate change. Since 2020, north-east Syria and parts of Iraq have experienced an extreme and exceptional agricultural drought. Over the past seven decades, the average temperature in the Tigris-Euphrates basin has risen by 2°C (36°F), as per European climate data. The Khabour River, once a vital water source for Hassakeh, saw its levels drop significantly, forcing residents to rely on the Alouk water station. However, in 2019, Turkey gained control of the Ras Al-Ain area, where the Alouk station is located, citing the need to establish a "safe zone" to protect the country from what it referred to as terrorist threats. By 2021, the UN raised alarms about repeated interruptions to the water supply from Alouk to northeast Syria, noting that the supply had been disrupted at least 19 times. In February 2024, an independent UN commission reported that attacks on electricity infrastructure in October 2023 could constitute war crimes, as they deprived civilians of access to essential water supplies.

The BBC presented their findings to lawyers from around the world. “Turkey’s attacks on energy infrastructure have had a devastating impact on civilians,” said Aarif Abraham, a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers, adding: “This could constitute a severe violation of international law.” "The indications that international law was violated here are so strong that they should be investigated by a prosecutorial authority," stated Patrick Kroker, an international criminal lawyer at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights. The UN's February 2024 report contained "no substantiating evidence" for its "unfounded allegations," according to the Turkish government, which also declared that it "fully respects international law."