Six attacks in February | Turkish drones kill and injure over 20 people in SDF-held areas
Proceeding with its aerial operations which have been noticeably escalated since 2021, Turkish drones continue their attacks on areas under the control of the “Autonomous Administration in northern and north-eastern Syria”. Since early February, six attacks have targeted vehicles and positions in SDF-held areas in Aleppo and Al-Hasakah, killing eight people, including two children and a female fighter, and injuring 13 others.
Further details of the circumstances of the attacks, all documented by SOHR, can be summarised as follows:
- February 1: Four fighters were killed in strikes by Turkish drones on the fourth power station near Al-Malikiyah city (Dayrek) in Al-Hasakah countryside. The airstrikes targeted a building where guards and workers of the stationed were located. The attack also left several people injured.
- February 3, A Turkish drone attacked a military vehicle in Kharza village to the east of Al-Darbasiya city in the north-west of Al-Hasakah, on the Syria-Turkey border, carrying three members of the SDF-backed “Women’s Protection Units” (YPJ) and the driver. The attack left a woman dead, while the others sustained seriously injuries and they were taken to Qamishli hospitals.
- February 6: A Turkish drone attacked two military positions in Arab Hasan village in eastern Aleppo, but no casualties were reported. It is worth noting that these positions had been evacuated by Manbij Military Council Forces before the attack.
- February 7: A Turkish drone struck several positions in the villages of Aliyah, Birkanees and Karbashak and a position near Asayish Forces’ checkpoint in Jatal village in Al-Darbasiyyah countryside, near the Syria-Turkey border, where SDF evacuated other posts and positions, fearing possible attacks.
- February 9: Three people: a member of the cadres, his driver who was a minor fighter, and a little civilian boy, were killed in an attack by a Turkish drone on a position and a vehicle in Bahera and Kharza areas in Al-Darbasiyyah countryside in Al-Hasakah province.
- February 12: A Turkish drone targeted a military vehicle near the gate of a military headquarters near the entrance of Amuda in Al-Hasakah countryside. The attack left three combatants injured.
We, at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), call upon the United Nations, UN Security Council and international community to exert pressure on the Turkish government to stop attacking civilians in Syria, especially using drones, under the pretext of “neutralizing terrorists and protecting national security”.
We also demand all conflicting powers in Syria comply with international law and stop involving Syrian civilians in military conflicts, as they have already been grappling with chronic crises and disastrous humanitarian situation during Syria’s protracted war which has been raging for over a decade.
It is worth noting that Turkish drones attacked SDF-held areas on three occasions in January, killing three people and injuring 13 others.
