Syria: at least 31 dead in Turkish raids, according to an NGO


At least 31 people, the vast majority of them Kurdish fighters and Syrian soldiers, died in raids by the Turkish army launched on Saturday evening against Kurdish regions in northern Syria, according to a latest report provided on Sunday by an NGO. The Kurdish autonomous authorities for their part reported at least 29 dead, – eleven civilians, 15 pro-regime fighters, two silo guards and a Kurdish fighter. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), which has an extensive network of sources in Syria, has not been able to confirm the death of civilians.

18 Kurdish fighters die under the strikes

He reported a series of airstrikes carried out on Saturday evening and before dawn on Sunday by the Turkish army in the provinces of Raqa and Hassaké (northeast) and Aleppo (north), which claimed lives to 18 Kurdish fighters and members of local allied forces and 12 Syrian soldiers, indicated the OSDH which has a vast network of sources in Syria. There were 40 injured. The NGO also reported the death of a journalist, Issam Abdallah, Syrian correspondent for a Kurdish news agency.

The official Syrian agency Sana confirmed the death of several Syrian soldiers, without specifying the number. The strikes mainly targeted the city of Kobané (north) and its surroundings, near the Turkish border, in particular grain silos near Al-Malikiyah (north-east) and a power plant located in an area under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) dominated by the Kurds.

A response to the Istanbul attack on November 13

Turkey has announced the launch of this air operation in the north of neighboring Iraq and Syria targeting several regions under the control of the Syrian Kurdish forces and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), accused by Ankara of the attack which killed six people in Istanbul on November 13. “These attacks by the Turkish occupation state will not go unanswered. At the appropriate time and place, we will respond with force and efficiency,” the SDF reacted in a statement.

The Turkish operation, dubbed “Sword Claw”, aims to “eliminate terrorist attacks from northern Iraq and Syria, ensure border security and eliminate terrorism at its source”, the ministry said. Turkish Defense. Turkey, whose soldiers are present in areas of northern Syria, has been threatening since May to launch a new offensive against the FDS, which it considers to be “terrorists”.



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