In retaliation for an attack in Ankara, Turkey carried out drone strikes in Syria on Thursday against military targets and infrastructure in areas under Kurdish control, killing at least seven people.
Most of the attacks took place in Hasakah province, which is under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-dominated coalition backed by the United States.
On Sunday, two police officers were injured in an attack in Ankara that was claimed by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK, Turkish) in its armed struggle against Turkish authorities since 1984.
Turkey said the perpetrators of the attack were trained in neighboring Syria. She describes the main component of the FDS, the YPG (People’s Defense Units), which she considers to be an extension of the PKK, as “terrorist”.
“Seven workers were killed in the Turkish raids” that particularly targeted two brick factories, the FDS’s Farhad Chami told AFP.
According to him, a series of raids targeted civilian and military targets, including an oil storage facility, a military vehicle and a motorcycle.
“There has been a clear escalation since the Turkish threats” against areas controlled by the Kurdish Autonomous Administration in northeastern Syria, he added.
Two people were killed in the attack on the vehicle, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), a UK-based NGO with an extensive network of sources in war-torn Syria.
In retaliation for Sunday’s attack, Turkey carried out strikes against PKK positions in northern Iraq, a country bordering Syria and Turkey.
“Legitimate goals”
“From now on, all infrastructure and assets, especially energy, of the PKK and YPG in Iraq and Syria represent legitimate targets for our security forces,” warned Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
“I advise third parties to stay away from places and people associated with the PKK and the YPG,” he added.
FDS Chairman Mazloum Abdi on Wednesday rejected allegations of possible involvement of Syrian Kurdish forces in the attack in Ankara.
“Turkey is looking for pretexts to legitimize its ongoing attacks on our region and launch new military aggression,” he said.
At the main market in the Kurdish town of Qamichli in Hassaké province, traders do not hide their concern and are eagerly monitoring the information on their cell phones.
“The situation is getting worse day by day. Turkey doesn’t let us breathe and targets us every day. We just want our children to live in peace,” said Hassan al-Ahmad, a 35-year-old trader.
“Deter”
In a statement on Thursday, the Kurdish Autonomous Administration called on “the international community, the international coalition” and Russia to “take positions that are likely to deter Turkey.”
The USA, Russia and Turkey are stationing troops in various regions of Syria.
With military support from Moscow and Tehran, the Syrian regime has recaptured most of the territory lost at the start of the war, which was sparked by the suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations in 2011.
The Washington-backed FDS has led the fight against the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria.
The State Department said the United States was “concerned about military escalation in northern Syria” and called for “de-escalation.”
The region controlled by the Kurdish Autonomous Administration is regularly attacked by Turkish drone strikes. Between 2016 and 2019, Turkey conducted three major operations against Kurdish forces.
The war in Syria, made more complex by the intervention of jihadists and foreign powers, has left more than half a million dead and millions of people displaced. It destroyed the infrastructure and divided the country.