96 hours of “Peace Spring”:: more than 130000 displaced people, about 60 civilian casualties, the city of Tal Abyad as well as 40 other towns and villages are in Turkey’s grip, and more than 200 casualties of the SDF, Turkish soldiers and the pro-Ankara factions
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
Over the past 96 hours, since the Turkish forces and their loyal factions unleashed their operations in the north-east of Syria, under the name of “Peace Spring” Operation, at 16:00 local time, the area of north and east Syria witnessed rabid developments in the shadow of the continuous aerial and ground bombardment on the areas of north and east Syria by the Turkish forces and their loyal factions, where fierce clashes are underway between the Turkish forces and factions loyal to them on one hand, and the Syria Democratic Forces and the military councils affiliated to them on the other, in several areas, which led to the spike in death toll in the ranks of the both parties, in addition to the rise of the number of civilian casualties and the growing number of displaced people, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored what happened in all front of the battles, in addition to what happened in the Syrian interior of displacement movements and the fall of casualties due to the Turkish indiscriminate shells that targeted citizens throughout Syrian North.
The number of displaced people is growing .. more citizens were killed .. the Turkish military operation threatens of a new humanitarian catastrophe
Since early morning of Wednesday, the 9th of October 2019, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored displacement of citizens from different areas in the area of east Euphrates, fleeing the Turkish military operation in the area, and according to the statistics of the SOHR; the number of displaced people has exceeded 130000 citizens who have displaced from their villages, towns and cities, where the citizens are continuing to displace from their areas from their areas in Tal Abyad, Ras al-Ayn, Darbasiyah, Ayn Al-Arab, Ayn Issa and other areas east of Euphrates at the border with Turkey, and some of them are scattered out in the open and most of them headed towards the depth of area, not to mention the difficult humanitarian conditions in the area due to the substantial increase in the number of displaced people and their destination, in addition to the interruption of water in al-Hasaka city, and the power stations are out of service due to shelling and clashes, and according to what the SOHR monitored on ground; cities, towns and villages became completely empty of population
The repercussions of the Turkish military operation known as “Operation Peace Spring” were not only confined to pushing citizens to displace, but it also led to the fall of civilian casualties and injuries due to the indiscriminate shells launched by the Turkish forces on different areas, and according to what the SOHR documented; it rose to 59, the number of civilian casualties who have been killed since the start of the Turkish military operation on the afternoon of Wednesday, the 9th of October 2019, they are 21 including a child, a female party official and 2 citizen women were killed in targeting by gunfire and field execution by faction loyal to Turkey on the highway south of Tal Abyad, 9 persons were killed in Turkish airstrikes that targeted Ras Al-Ayn city and its vicinity, 7 including 2 employees of the Autonomous Administration were killed in the ground shelling on the vicinity of Tal Abyad, 6 including a child, a woman, and 2 elderly men were killed in rocket shelling targeted the neighborhoods of Bashiriyya, Kaddour Biek, and al-Zaytuniyyeh in Qamishli city, 5 including a child were killed shelling on the vicinity of Ras Al-Ayn area in Al-Hasakah countryside, 4 were killed in the Turkish strikes on al-Bajiya village of Tal Abyad area, and 4 in Turkish airstrikes target the vicinity of Ras al-Ayn (Sari Kani) city, 3 including a female party official were killed by gunshot when they were heading towards Tal Abyad city, a female child was killed in shelling targeted al-Qahtaniyah countryside, and a man was targeted by Turkish snipers in Darbasiyah city, a woman and man were killed in Qameshly city by the Turkish Forces, and a man was killed in rocket shelling by the Turkish Forces on Qasr Dib village on the outskirts of al-Malkiyyeh.
Meanwhile, tension is still continuing in Ayn Issa Camp north of Al-Raqqah city, also a large number of families of the “Islamic State” organization’s members managed to flee the section where they used to stay within Ayn Issa Camp, exploiting the chaos which caused there as the battles approach the camp which led to the withdrawal of the Asayish forces, where they abandoned the task of protecting the camp to join the fighting and repelling the attacks on the area, where about 800 women and children of the families of ISIS members of foreign nationalities managed to flee towards unknown destination so far.
41 areas of about 220 km became in Turkey’s grip .. aerial and ground bombardment and clashes .. the number of casualties in the ranks of both parties increases
Over the past 4 days, the SOHR monitored the advancement of the Turkish forces and factions loyal to them under a cover of heavy aerial and ground firepower, in at least 41 areas from Tal Abyad to Ras Al-Ayn, where the Turkish forces imposed their control over Tal Abyad city, Sluk, Mazra’aat al-Hammadi, Abu Qabr, Mazra’aat al-Masihi, Hamida, al-Mahida, al-Dadat, al-Yabseh, al-Meshrfeh, Tal Fender, Bir Ashiq, al-Terwaziyyeh, Lazkeh, Hwyran, al-Wastah, al-Ghajir, Shokan, al-Khalidiyah, al-Aridah, al-Nabhan, Om al-Jern, Ghzil, al-Hawi, Tababin, Jamous, Felyou, al-Zaydi and Al-Daroubiyyah in Tal Abyad area, and Mabroukah and Tal Halaf towns and the villages of Al-Kantari, Wadhah, Twijal, Alok, Kashto, Aksas, Tal Khenzir, Al-Aziziyyeh, Al-Balloujah and Abu Al-Soun in the Ras al-Ayn area.
And the SOHR published learned that the International Counter ISIS Coalition informed the Syria Democratic Forces about its intention of withdrawing from its military base in the soils of Manbij near the city, and Kharab Ishk base in the countryside of Ayn Al-Arab city (Kobani), and although the SDF were informed about the Coalition’s intention to pull out, the sources of the SOHR have yet to monitor any pullout by the Coalition forces from any of the 2 bases. However, the Coalition has already withdrawn from its positions in Ayn Issa town in the northern countryside of Al-Raqqah.
While the number of casualties in the ranks of the Syria Democratic Forces, the military councils and the Internal Security Forces who were killed due to Turkish aerial and ground bombardment as well as clashes against the Turkish forces and their loyal factions since the start of the Turkish military operation on Wednesday afternoon rose to 112, while the number of casualties of the Syrian factions which are loyal to Ankara and the casualties of the pro-Turkey cells who were killed in targeting and clashes against the SDF during the same period, increased to 81 including 13 of the pro-Turkish cells who were killed in targeting and clashes against SDF, in addition to the killing of 8 Turkish soldiers in clashes and targeting, Turkey acknowledged the death of only 5 of them, amid information about other Turkish casualties at the Syrian – Turkish border, and the death toll is expected to rise because there are some people in critical situation, in addition to information about other casualties.
High-resolution link of the map of power distribution and conflict in the Syrian North
