Turkey Airstrikes Kurdish Forces in Northern Syria

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] On the 20th (local time), Turkish forces conducted airstrikes on the northeastern region of Syria, which had been controlled by Kurdish militias for 17 months, AFP reported.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a Syria civil war monitoring group headquartered in London, UK, stated, "Turkish fighter jets bombed the village of Sayda in Ain Issa, a base of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), causing a large explosion."

The SDF is a coalition led by the Kurdish militia (YPG). Turkey claims that the YPG is the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a Kurdish separatist armed group in Turkey, and has taken a confrontational stance.

Foreign media reported that this airstrike is the first in about a year and a half since Turkey launched the "Operation Peace Spring" across the Syrian border in October 2019.

SOHR explained that the airstrikes occurred simultaneously amid clashes between the SDF and pro-Turkish forces in Ain Issa, resulting in casualties. It added, "The fighting between both sides lasted for 24 hours. The SDF destroyed Turkish tanks, making it difficult for Turkish troops to advance."

Turkey refers to the Kurdish-led militias in Syria as "terrorist organizations," but the international community, including the United States, considers the SDF an important ally in the 2017 campaign against the Islamic extremist armed group "Islamic State" (IS).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.