Syrian refugee injured by falling Turkish drone debris in Kirkuk

Shafaq News / The young Syrian man, Abdul Qadir Jamil, who fled violence in his home country with his family, never expected to be struck by debris from a Turkish drone that crashed in the middle of Kirkuk.

Jamil, 29, lives with his wife and four children in a modest apartment in the predominantly Kurdish Rahim Awa neighborhood in northern Kirkuk. He leaves early each morning to find work in Kirkuk's labor market to support his family.

From Violence to Violence

Forced to flee Syria due to the ongoing violence, Abdul Qadir Jamil settled in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq for several years before moving to Kirkuk for work and housing. Little did he know that he would find himself in the path of shrapnel from the Turkish drone that fell in Kirkuk two days ago.

"On Thursday, we were working on pouring a floor in a house in the Tis'in neighborhood. Around 10:30 am, we saw the drone on fire. We were talking about the possibility of it crashing into the area, and a few minutes later, parts of it fell, causing a loud explosion and a large fireball. I was injured in my right leg and was taken to Kirkuk General Hospital by my coworkers," Jamil told Shafaq News.

He added, "My wounds were treated, and after giving my statement, I returned home that evening to my wife and four children. I pay 150,000 Iraqi dinars (about $100) in rent for this house, which is in poor condition, as you can see."

Financial Struggles

Jamil's financial situation is dire. He works daily for wages ranging between 15,000 and 20,000 dinars. On days when he has no work, he carries a box of shoe polish and brushes and goes to the markets to shine shoes just to put food on the table for his family.

Soran Khurshid, one of Jamil's coworkers, recounted the incident to Shafaq News, saying, "We were working when we heard the explosions and expected the drone to crash into the houses. Minutes later, parts of the drone fell on our work site, and the young Syrian Jamil was the only one injured in the incident."

He added, "We took Jamil to the hospital on Thursday, and we stayed with him at his home to check on his condition. We also bought food for his family because he is injured and cannot move."

Military Response and Investigation

Brigadier General Abdul Salam Hamoudi Ramadan, Deputy Commander of Air Defense in the Northern Region, revealed on Thursday that Iraqi air defenses had shot down a Turkish drone that was coming from the direction of Al-Sulaymaniyah. He explained that it was targeted over the Giman area in the center of Kirkuk.

"The Turkish-made drone violated Iraqi airspace from the direction of Al-Sulaymaniyah and was detected by air defense units," Brigadier General Ramadan told Shafaq News.

He added, "After the drone entered the target range, it was shot down by air defense personnel," confirming that it was downed after penetrating Iraqi airspace.

However, the Joint Operations Command announced the formation of a task force to determine the causes of the Turkish drone crash in Kirkuk, despite the official air defense announcement that it had been shot down earlier that Thursday morning.