As a rule, the Ankara government means by the term that people have been killed, injured or captured. Syrian activists say 67 people have been killed so far.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the operation will continue with airstrikes and guns on the land, according to a report by the state-run Anadolu Agency. Turkish troops fired on several villages in northern Syria on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. There were initially no reports of casualties.
No civilians or allied troops were injured in the offensive, said Akar, who described the attacks as “retaliatory strikes”. The Turkish army only targets “terrorists”. “Wherever the terrorists are, that’s our goal.” The information about attacks and the number of casualties could not be independently verified. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 14 civilians have been killed in the recent attacks.
Since Sunday, Turkey has been carrying out airstrikes in northern Iraq and northern Syria against the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG and the outlawed Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK, which Turkey fights as terrorist organizations. Ankara blames them for an attack on Istanbul’s Istiklal shopping street almost two weeks ago. However, both groups denied this. The United States sees the YPG as a partner in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) terror militia in Syria, whose cells are still active in the country.
One of the targets of the Turkish attacks is the Syrian city of Kobane, which is a symbol for many Kurds. Kurdish fighters once liberated the city from the Islamic State terror militia with international help.
The people there are currently living in uncertainty and fear. Local resident Schirin Abdel Kadar told dpa that her eight children were terrified of bombings. The family fled their home and hid during the attacks.
Another resident is particularly concerned that Turkish troops will invade Kobane and expel him and his family. The family had just built a house in the city. He is disappointed in the US, which he believes as an ally in the current situation should do more for the Kurds.
The YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are concerned about the Turkish threat of a ground offensive. Only strong resistance from the West could deter Turkey from the project, SDF commander Maslum Abdi told the dpa. Such an offensive would be “bloody,” he warned.
Initially, there were no new reports of Turkish attacks from northern Iraq. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) has been using missiles and kamikaze drones against Kurdish positions there for weeks. Tehran feels support for the mass protests in Iran in the Kurdish regions of the neighboring country. The reason was the death of the young Iranian Kurd Jina Mahsa Amini after being arrested by the vice squad.
(SDA)