On Wednesday, May 28, 2025, Lieutenant Muhammad Mulham Kulko, a member of the Civil Police (Internal Security Forces) and director of Ain al-Bayda prison in the Jarabulus countryside of Aleppo Governorate, was killed. Kulko, a native of the al-Waer neighborhood in Homs, was killed when an explosive device planted in his car exploded while he was in the village of al-Kusa in the Jarabulus countryside, east of Aleppo. As of the time of publication, the party responsible for planting the device remains unknown. It should be noted that the area is under the control of the Syrian Transitional Government.
According to information obtained by SNHR from reliable local sources, the bomb exploded while Kolko was driving with his family (his wife and son) on the road to the village of Al-Kusa. The explosion resulted in his injury, which later resulted in his death, and in the seriousness of his wife and son.
SNHR notes that the explosion of an explosive device inside a civilian vehicle in a civilian area poses a grave threat to the safety of residents, especially vulnerable groups such as children. The network continues to collect testimonies and testimonies from survivors and eyewitnesses to fully verify and document the incident.
Legal Conclusions
- Planting an explosive device in Mohammed Kulku’s car and its detonation in a civilian area constitutes unlawful conduct that threatens the right to life and bodily integrity. Whether or not the attack was directed, placing the device in a car without a direct military target constitutes a prohibited indiscriminate attack.
- Using an explosive device in a car constitutes an attack on the safety of civilians, violating Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to life, and Article 9, which guarantees the right to personal security.
- The area is under the control of the transitional government, which is legally obligated to ensure the general protection of civilians in areas under its control, even if it was not directly responsible for the bombing.
- The deliberate targeting of civilians through the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) hidden in public facilities and roads could be classified as terrorist acts against civilians, especially if it is proven that they were deliberately planted in a crowded, non-military location.
Recommendations by SNHR
- Conduct an immediate, transparent, and impartial investigation to identify the party that planted the bomb and examine the security failures that allowed the attack to occur, with the results being made public.
- The controlling local authorities (the transitional government) bear responsibility for security, and we call on them to tighten control over public places and enhance preventive measures to protect civilians from similar risks.
- Compensate victims and their families, and provide health and psychological care to the injured, especially children, in accordance with the principles of justice and reparation.
- Strengthen efforts to remove explosive devices and remnants of war through specialized teams operating under the supervision of organizations such as UNMAS, and document potential hazard areas.
- Donor countries should support local teams, organizations, and official bodies specialized in mine and remnant of war clearance to reduce risks and protect civilian lives.
