Nazim Dashdan was killed with his colleague Jihan Belkin in a suspected Turkish drone attack on December 19, 2024, on the road between Tishreen Dam and the town of Sarrin, a sub-district of Kobani (Ain Al Arab) in northeastern Aleppo, Syria, according to multiple news reports and Belkin’s employer, who spoke to CPJ.
Both journalists were inside a car while moving between locations as they were covering the recent clashes between Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Turkish-backed opposition forces Syrian National Army (SNA), which has been supported by Turkish airstrikes during its offensive. Their driver, Aziz Haj Bozan, was also injured in the attack.
Dashdan, 32, was a Kurdish journalist who worked as a freelancer for the Hawar News Agency (ANHA), Firat News Agency, and Ronahi TV in Syria since 2014. He covered regional conflicts and human rights issues. His name in Turkish was Nazım Daştan.
ANHA is a news organization affiliated with the Kurdish administration of northeast Syria and broadcasts in six different languages. ANHA, Firat News Agency, and Rohani TV are pro-Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey designates as a terrorist organization.
ANHA manager Akram Barakat told CPJ that the incident took place around 3:20 p.m.
“They were returning to Kobani city after covering the fighting near Tishreen when a Turkish drone deliberately targeted their vehicle, killing them instantly,” he said. Barakat said that Belkin had been working as a journalist in northern Syria since 2017, and Dashdan since 2014. “Both had consistently reported on wars and conflicts in the region for various outlets,” he said.
Barakat told CPJ that the journalists’ vehicle was clearly marked as “Press” but that Turkey “continues to disregard” international laws.
“Turkish drone strikes have repeatedly targeted journalists in our region while the international community remains silent,” Barakat said. “We urge international organizations, human rights groups, and the global community to take immediate action to stop these attacks on journalists and hold the perpetrators accountable. This silence has only exacerbated the dangers faced by journalists in the region.”
Barakat told CPJ that the journalists would be buried in the Syrian city of Qamishlo.
CPJ’s email requesting comment from the Permanent Mission of Turkey to the United Nations did not receive a response. The Turkish Defense Ministry website did not provide access to allow CPJ to request comment.
Dashtan was born in 1992 in the Gihadîn district of Ağrı in southeastern Turkey, according to CPJ’s review of ANHA’s website. He began his journalist career during the ISIS attacks in 2014. Nazim reported on significant conflicts in northern Syria in Afrin, Kobani, Raqqa, Tel Abyad, and Sinjar in Iraq. ANHA described his work as highlighting “the resilience of the Kurdish people and the atrocities they faced.”
His final assignment, documenting the effects of Turkish strikes on the Tishreen Dam, underscored his dedication to journalism and his effort to bring attention to pressing issues in the region, according to ANHA’s website.