Military operations continued in northern Syria on Friday, with a noticeable escalation between Turkish forces and allied Syrian factions, on the one hand, and the US-backed Kurdish militias, which led to deaths of dozens over the week.
Informed sources told Zaman al-Wasl that Turkish warplanes carried out five airstrikes on Friday targeting SDF sites in the countryside of Ain al-Arab (Kobani) east of Aleppo.
The strikes included the Sarrin airport, the Sarrin silos, and the vicinity of the "Qara Qozak Bridge", causing significant damage to the targeted sites and possible human losses.
In the northern countryside of Hasakah, violent clashes took place between the Syrian National Army and the SDF militias on the axis of the village of "Al-Asadiya" east of "Ras al-Ain". The clashes included mutual shelling, which resulted in injuries and losses among both sides, amid moves to bring reinforcements to the area.
On the other hand, a Turkish drone targeted a car belonging to the SDF in the village of Shark in the countryside of "Al-Malikiyah" east of Hasakah.
The attack resulted in deaths and injuries among militia members, while the military escalation continues in the region.
Swathes of north and northeast Syria are controlled by a Kurdish-led administration whose de facto army, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), spearheaded the fight that helped defeat ISIS in Syria in 2019.
Turkey accuses the main component of the SDF, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), of being affiliated with the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) at home, which both Washington and Ankara consider a “terrorist” group.
Turkey has staged multiple operations in SDF areas since 2016, and Ankara-backed groups have captured several Kurdish-held towns in northern Syria in recent weeks.
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