Turkey backs Syria’s new Islamist-led rulers, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and hopes they will act against Kurdish fighters. Ankara has vowed to continue military operations until Kurdish forces ‘disarm’, citing border security concerns
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A Turkish soldier waves a flag on Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria. Image used for representative purpose/Reuters
A Turkish drone strike killed five civilians in northeastern Syria on Saturday (December 21), according to a war monitor, marking the latest in a series of deadly incidents amid escalating tensions in the region.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that two of the victims, including a woman and a political party member, succumbed to their injuries, adding to three earlier deaths in the same attack. The strike targeted a car travelling between Al-Hawl and Tal Brak in Hasakeh province, the Kurdish Hawar news agency said.
“This crime is one of a series of flagrant violations of international law and human rights which forbid the targeting of civilians,” the Kurdish Internal Security Force said in a statement.
Separately, Turkish drones struck wheat silos southwest of Kobane, destroying significant stockpiles, according to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurdish-led force in the region. The SDF has been a key US ally in the fight against ISIS and serves as the de facto Kurdish army in northeastern Syria.
Backdrop: Violence after Assad’s fall
The violence comes after the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on December 8, which saw Turkey increasing its support for armed groups opposing Kurdish forces in northern Syria. Ankara views the SDF as a terrorist organisat