At least 15 people have been killed and 31 injured in the last few hours in some 25 airstrikes carried out by the Turkish army in the Syrian provinces of Raqqa and Hasaka, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced on Sunday.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), a London-based non-governmental organization, at least nine members of the Kurdish forces and six members of the Syrian forces were killed.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced this air operation in northern Iraq and Syria against Kurdish groups that Ankara blamed for the explosion last Sunday on Istiklal Avenue, which caused at least six deaths and 81 injuries.
These attacks come days after Ankara accused the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) of being behind the attacks last Sunday in the center of Istanbul.
In addition, Turkey considers the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the main component of the SDF, an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), considered terrorists in that country.
Both groups have denied any role in the attack that killed six people. However, the Turkish Interior Minister pointed out that he “has suspicions” that the order was given from the city of Kobane, one of the main targets of this operation.
In his first assessment, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said today that the operation successfully destroyed “terrorist shelters, bunkers, caves, tunnels and warehouses” and that “a terrorist organization headquarters was also attacked and destroyed.”
“Our goal is to ensure the security of our 85 million citizens and our borders, and to respond to any treacherous attacks against our country,” Hulusi Akar warned.
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Commander General Mazlum Abdi said today that what happened in the airstrike was a “big catastrophe” and called on families in the area to stay home.
“We are doing everything possible to avoid a great catastrophe. If the war starts, we will all be affected,” he warned, in statements collected by the Kurdish news agency Rudaw and published by Efe.
Kobane was captured by the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014 but ousted by US-allied Kurdish forces. The SDF has been a key US ally during the war against ISIS and has received extensive military training from Washington.
Also on Saturday, the US Consulate General in Erbil issued a security alert about an impending Turkish offensive in the Kurdistan region and northeastern Syria, while the State Department advised its citizens not to travel to the region.
Source: TSF
