Syria Support Movement solidarity with the Syrian people
From the News Desk at The Cradle, October 9, 2023
The Turkish air force launched a new barrage of attacks in northeast Syria on 9 October, hitting a Kurdish police training center where 20 security personnel, known as Asayish, died and about 50 were wounded.
Turkiye reportedly “neutralized” several Kurdish targets in Al-Malikiyah, a small city in the northern countryside of Hasakah governorate. More casualties are expected as most of the injured are in critical condition.
Turkish drones have conducted continuous attacks against Kurdish targets in Syria in response to a suicide bombing attack in Ankara on 1 October, claimed by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
The recent push began Thursday and continued through the weekend, as Turkish forces struck several Kurdish and Syrian Defense Force (SDF) targets, including military and civilian infrastructure, oil fields, power stations, and other facilities needed for residents in the area.
In an overnight operation on Saturday, Turkish forces killed 58 Kurdish militants.
The US-backed SDF has claimed to have killed 6 Turkish soldiers on Sunday.
“Our forces affirm that they will not tolerate the attacks and assaults of the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries on our regions,” an SDF spokesman said. “[Our forces] will exercise their legitimate right to respond to them, within the framework of the policy of self-defense, which is guaranteed by all international laws and legislation.”
#Syria #Turkey A Turkish drone targets the Odeh oil field, which is controlled by The Syrian Armed Forces, near the city of Al-Qahtaniyah. pic.twitter.com/Hu6G3Fpb2w
— The National Independent (@NationalIndNews) October 5, 2023
Washington last week claimed responsibility for downing at least one Turkish drone that approached a US occupation base in Hasakah.
“It’s a regrettable incident, but US commanders on the ground did assess that there was a potential threat, so they took prudent action in this scenario,” US Brigadier General Pat Ryder said.
Turkish authorities have stated that precautions are being taken to prevent the deaths of civilians. Nonetheless, the SDF claims that during Friday’s attack, eight noncombatants were killed due to the strike.
Turkiye considers the PKK and its Syrian allies “terrorists” and has demanded that other nations blacklist them.
During recent anti-terror operations in Turkiye, over a hundred Kurdish residents were arrested under suspicion of being PKK members.
The Turkish airforce also conducted operations in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR) on Saturday, killing two militants.
“Targets belonging to [Kurdish] terrorists in northern Syria’s Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch, and Peace Spring operation areas were hit strongly all night long,” Turkish officials said.
