Turkish airstrikes target SDF, take oil refineries off grid in Syria
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The Turkish forces have carried out airstrikes on northeastern Syria, targeting US-backed SDF sites in the region.
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A Turkish Air Force pilot gestures from the cockpit of an F-16 military fighter jet before an Air Policing exercise at the Baza 86 military air base, outside Fetesti, Romania, Wednesday, March 6, 2024 (AP)
The Turkish forces have conducted airstrikes on the main headquarters of the Asayish security forces affiliated with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Amuda, a city in the al-Hasakah province in northeastern Syria, sources familiar with the matter told Al Mayadeen. The strikes resulted in both material and human losses, the sources said.
The bombardment also targeted the premises of the Educational Curricula Foundation in Amuda, causing severe damage to the building. In addition, Turkish forces struck an Asayish location in a village in the northern al-Hasakah countryside.
Another airstrike hit an Asayish site at the Aoun al-Dadat crossing, linking areas under the control of the SDF with those controlled by the so-called "National Army" near al-Bab in the eastern Aleppo countryside. Turkish artillery further shelled SDF positions in the villages of Aqiba and Abin in the northern Aleppo countryside.
Turkish artillery also targeted SDF forces along contact lines with the so-called "Peace Shield" militants around Tel Abyad in the northern Raqqa countryside. These strikes reportedly disabled several oil refineries and halted the distribution of gas and diesel to civilians in SDF-controlled areas due to the damage inflicted on gas and oil processing stations across northeastern and eastern Syria.
In recent days, Turkish drones also targeted Asayish checkpoints and headquarters in central Ain al-Arab (Kobani) in the northwestern Aleppo region.
Using a combination of warplanes, drones, and artillery, Turkish forces carried out a coordinated assault on over 30 SDF sites in the cities of Qamishli, al-Malikiyah, Rmelan, al-Qahtaniyah, Amuda and their surrounding countryside in al-Hasakah, as well as Ain al-Arab, Manbij, and Tel Rifaat in Aleppo countryside, and Ain Issa and Tel Abyad in the Raqqa countryside.
The strikes have primarily focused on infrastructure, including oil fields, wells, and grain silos, in addition to SDF and Asayish headquarters, resulting in significant human and material losses.
Repeated airstrikes
Turkiye launched airstrikes on Kurdish militants in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday, following an attack near Ankara that left five people dead at the headquarters of state-run Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).
The government attributed the attack to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), stating it was "very likely" responsible for the attack, which also injured 22 others.
In response, Turkiye's Defense Ministry declared that air operations were swiftly executed against targets in northern Iraq and Syria just hours after the attack. The ministry reported that "a total of 32 terrorist targets were successfully destroyed," while emphasizing that operations were still ongoing.
SDF positions, Asayish forces targeted
Al Mayadeen's sources in Syria revealed that Turkish airstrikes hit key SDF positions and Asayish forces in the town of Karachok, located in the northern countryside of al-Hasakah province, northeastern Syria.
The sources further reported that a Turkish drone launched strikes on an Asayish checkpoint and headquarters in the heart of Ayn al-Arab (Kobani), a strategic city in northwestern Syria, northeast of Aleppo.
In addition to the aerial assaults, heavy Turkish artillery bombardments targeted several villages in the countryside of Manbij, the sources mentioned.
Moreover, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that Turkish warplanes struck an SDF military position on Gulf Street in the center of Qamishli city, north of al-Hasakah.
He added that Turkish warplanes resumed airstrikes on positions held by Asayish forces, affiliated with the SDF, in the center of Qamishli city.
The airstrikes reportedly destroyed two key Asayish command centers located in the neighborhoods of Antariyah and Halko in Qamishli.
Our correspondent said a Turkish drone bombed an SDF site near the train station in the al-Seryan neighborhood of Qamishli.
Turkish warplanes also targeted an SDF military position in the town of Amuda in the northern countryside of al-Hasakah, according to Al Mayadeen's correspondent.
