Bayrakdar TB2 UCAV, source: ssb.gov.tr
On April 21, a Turkish drone strike hit the Christian town of Tell Damshig in the northern countryside of Syria’s al-Hasakah.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the drone strike targeted a position of the Tell Tamer Military Council, a faction of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). According to the London-based monitoring group, three Assyrian personnel of the SDF were wounded as a result of the strike.
Following the drone strike, the Turkish military and its proxies pounded the Christian towns of Tell Tawil and Umm Wagfah which are located near Tell Damshig.
Turkish combat drones have been very active over SDF-held areas in northern and northeastern Syria. Just a day earlier, two drone strikes targeted an intelligence center of the SDF north of the town of al-Qamishli in the northern al-Hasakah countryside and a vehicle of the group to the south of the town of Kobane in the southern countryside of Aleppo.
The SDF acknowledged that three members of the Women’s Protection Units were killed in the strike on Kobane. One of the slain women was a commander.
The recent Turkish drone strikes on the SDF indicate that Ankara may be preparing for a new military operation in northern and northeastern Syria. The Turkish military and its proxies made preparation for a large-scale operation against the SDF last year.
The SDF didn’t respond to recent Turkish drone strikes, likely to deny Ankara the casus belli it needs to launch a new military operation.
