9 days of “Peace Spring”: despite the ceasefire the shelling continues… 436 are death toll of “SDF,” the regime, and the Turkish Forces and factions loyal to them, the latter prevents a medical convoy from evacuating the injured in “Ras al-Ayn” city
The last hours of yesterday evening witnessed successive developments, through the announcement of the U.S. Vice President Mike Pence for a ceasefire in the Syrian north in agreement with Turkey, the cease-fire will be for a 120 hours until the YPG withdraws from the border areas.
Despite the ceasefire, the shelling continues over Ras al-Ayn city on the 9th day of “Peace Spring” Operation launched by Turkey on the afternoon of Wednesday, the 9th of October 2019, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the injury of about 20 civilians by the random gunshots; as a result of the celebrations of al-Hasakah, Qameshly, and other areas in the American – Turkish ceasefire agreement.
“Ras al-Ayn” is witnessing continuous shelling despite the announcement of a ceasefire, at a time when Turkey-loyal factions have been preventing the medical convoy from entering the city since Friday morning, and since the start of the fighting; the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights continued the rapid developments on all fronts of the battle, in addition to what happened in the Syrian interior of displacements or the fall of casualties as a result of random Turkish shells, that targeted civilians throughout the Syrian north.
300 thousand civilians displaced by Turkish operations… 79 civilian casualties in 9 days… and Turkey shells civilians
Since the early hours of Wednesday morning, October 9, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has monitored the displacement of civilians from different parts of the Euphrates region, fleeing the Turkish military operation in the area. According to the statistics of the “Observatory”, the number of displaced exceeded 300 thousand civilians displaced from their towns, cities and villages, where the movement of civilians continues from their areas in Tal Abyad, Ras al-Ain, Darbasiyah, Ain Al Arab, Ain Issa and other areas east of the Euphrates at the border with Turkey. According to Syrian Observatory statistics Human rights, the number of displaced people exceeded 300 thousand civilians toward the depth of the region, amid the difficult humanitarian situation in the region due to the huge numbers of displaced persons.
Over 8 days of the Turkish military operation known as the ”Spring Peace” 79 civilian casualties have fallen victims of the random shells, shelling, and battles launched by the Turkey against the north of Syria, and according to what the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has documented; the number of civilian casualties since the launched of the military operation has increased to 79 casualties, and they are 21 including a child, a party official, and two citizens due to being shot dead and field execution by Turkish-backed factions on the highway south of Tel Abyad and areas north of Ain Issa and Sluk town, In addition, 26 were killed by Turkish airstrikes targeting the city of Ras al-Ayn and its environs and eastern countryside, al-Rihaniyah village in al-Malkiyyeh countryside, and 2 of a local news team, 6 including a child, a woman, and 2 old men were killed in missile shelling targeted the neighborhoods of al-Bashiriyya, Qaddour Biek, and al-Zaytuna in al-Qameshly city, 5 including a child were killed in shelling targeted Ras al-Ayn area in Hasakah countryside, 4 were killed in Turkish airstrikes on al-Bajiya village in Tal Abyad area, 3 were killed in sniping operations on villages of Tal Abyad, a child was killed in the fall of a shell targeted al-Qahtaniyah countryside, a man was killed after being targeted by a sniper of the Turkish Forces in Darbasiyah city, a citizen woman was shot by a Turkish sniper in Qameshly city, a man was killed in Turkish rocket shelling on the outskirts of Qasr Dib village in al-Malkiyyeh countryside, in addition to the death of 2 in shelling targeted al-Farat village north of Manbij city, and a child was killed in rocket shelling by the Turkish Forces on one of the villages of Ayn Issa town north of al-Raqqah city.
The increase in death toll came after the death of 7 citizens and the injury of at least 21 others, in airstrikes carried out by the Turkish warplanes which targeted the eastern countryside of Ras al-Ayn, where they targeted Abu Rasin area and the villages of Bab al-Khair, On Eshbeh, and Madb’aah morning of today, Friday.
Turkey controls 68 areas, “Ras al-Ain” under siege and the death toll rises between both sides.
Over the course of 8 days, the Syrian Observatory monitored the progress of Turkish forces and their affiliated factions with intensive air and ground cover in at least 68 districts of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain districts, where Turkish forces extended their control over the city of Tal Abyad, as well as towns and villages of Selouk, Mazra’at Al-Hammadi, Abu Qabr, Mazra’at al-Massihi, Hamida, Al-Mahdah, Dadat, Al-Yabsah, Al-Mushrifah, Tel-Fender, Bir-Asheq, Al-Tuwaraziyah, Zakah, Huwairan, Al-Wasta, Al-Ghajer, Shokan, Al-Khaldia, Al-Arida, Nabhan, Um Al-Garn, Ghazil, Al-Hawi, Tabbin, Al-Suwayn, Jamous Filo, Al-Zaidi, Al-Droubiyah, Ain Al-Arous, Tel Antar, Al-Badi, Jassem Al-Ali in Tal Abyad. Turkey also now controls Mabrouka town, and the villages of Kantari, Wadha, Twigel, Alouk, Keshtu, Aksas, Tal Khanzeer, Al Azizia, Baloja, Abu Al-Saoun, Hweish Al-Nasser, Al-Naim, Sahaleya, Libya, Tal Al-Banat, Kajo, Al-Mada’in and Nahih in Ras al-Ain. In addition, Turkey now controls 17 villages and areas within the area between Tal Tamr and Ras al-Ain, and the area between the countryside of Tal Abyad and Ain Issa.
And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that a large medical convoy belongs to the Kurdish Red Crescent, consists of about 200 vehicles carrying medical materials and first aid, had set off from Tal Tamr town towards Ras al-Ayn (Sari Kani) city; to join the convoy which has been parked since this morning at al-Mashrafa village, which is about 7 km away of Ras al-Ayn, because the Turkey-loyal factions do not allow them to pass towards the city by targeting the perimeter of the column.
As a result of the continuous battels, the death toll among the Syria Democratic Forces, military councils and internal security forces since the start of the Turkish military operation on Wednesday afternoon have risen to 235, which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the killing of 5 members of the regime forces and the injury of others in missile shelling by the Turkish Forces and the faction target northwest Manbij and east of Ayn Issa town in places of deployment of the regime forces, also the number of deaths among Syrian factions loyal to Ankara and the pro-Turkey cells killed in the attacks and clashes with the SDF during the same period reached 187, including 21 of the cells loyal to Ankara killed in clashes with the SDF, in addition to 9 Turkish soldiers were killed during the battels, amid information about more dead Turks on the Turkish-Syrian border, and the number of those killed is likely to rise due to the high number of wounded, some of them in dangerous situations.
And according to what reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights; the Turkey-loyal factions continue the looting operations in the areas that they controlled in Tal Abyad area, at the border strip in the northern countryside of Al-Raqqah, where sources of the “Syrian Observatory” informed that groups of factions stolen houses and their contents after displacing their people as a result of “Peace Spring” operation, in addition to burning them after looting them, also the cattle are being stolen in villages of Tal Abyad, recalling practices of the factions during the operation of controlling Afrin, and the looting of people’s property and the continuous violations until the moment there.