Image: aa.com.tr
Late on January 13, the Turkish military carried out a series of artillery strikes on positions of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) following a indirect fire attack that hit one of its bases in Syria’s northern region.
The attack, which was attributed to the SDF, targeted a base near the village of Hazwan in the northern countryside of Aleppo. A Turkish soldier was killed and several others were wounded as a result of the attack.
The Turkish retaliatory strikes hit several positions of the SDF in the northern and northeastern countryside of Aleppo. The Turkish Ministry of National Defense said in a statement that at least 14 SDF fighters were “neutralized” in the strikes. However, the group has dismissed these claims.
This was the first serious confrontation between the Turkish military and the SDF this year. Last November, Ankara escalated its air and artillery strikes on the SDF after accusing the group’s core faction, the People’s Protection Units, of being involved in a bombing in Istanbul that left six people dead.
Initially, the Turkish military threatened the SDF with a ground operation. However, pressure from the United States, the main backer of the group, and Russia forced Turkey to settle to regular artillery and air strikes.
The repeated attacks by the SDF and its affiliates on the Turkish military are only strengthening Ankara’s case for a new operation in northern Syria.
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