SDF Announces 12 Killed in Turkish Airstrikes in Northeast Syria
On Wednesday, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led alliance, announced that 12 people, including civilians and military personnel, were killed in Turkish airstrikes in northeastern Syria.
In a statement, the SDF said, “A squadron of Turkish warplanes launched attacks at 3:00 p.m. today, Wednesday, targeting multiple areas in the Al-Ruwaished desert near the Shadadi region, south of Hasakah.”
The statement elaborated that the Turkish air force struck a military outpost belonging to SDF forces, as well as residential homes of civilian workers.
Additionally, a civilian vehicle carrying shepherds was targeted on the Kharafi road connecting
DeirezZor and Hasakah. The assault included more than 16 airstrikes on the area.
According to the SDF, the strikes resulted in the deaths of “four fighters, six civilian workers, and two shepherds.”
The Syrian Democratic Forces, dominated by Kurdish fighters, control vast swathes of northeastern Syria, including parts of Deir ez-Zor province, particularly the eastern bank of the Euphrates River. These areas fall under a self-administration established by the Kurds at the onset of the Syrian conflict in 2011, following the withdrawal of government forces from large portions of the region.
Turkey views the Kurdish units within the SDF as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group that has been waging an insurgency against Ankara for decades and is classified as a “terrorist” organization by Turkey and its allies.
Analysts suggest that Turkey aims to weaken the Kurdish position in Syria amid the country’s ongoing turmoil, a strategy underscored by these recent airstrikes.
