File image.
On April 9, a Turkish combat drone hit Kabz hill some 20 kilometers to the west of al-Darbasiyah in the northern countryside of Syria’s al-Hasakah.
The drone strike targeted a position of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) border guards. At the time of the strike, members of the Kurdish-led group were digging trenches around the position.
According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the strike claimed the life of an SDF member and wounded two others.
Some Syrian opposition sources alleged that the slain SDF member was a field commander who was responsible for the construction of fortifications in al-Darbasiyah and its surroundings. This is yet to be verified.
Turkish combat drones has been very active over SDF-held areas in northern and northeastern Syria for several months now.
On April 1, a drone strike targeted a vehicle on the M4 highway in the northeastern countryside of al-Hasakah, killing a member of the SDF and wounding another. On April 8, three civilians, including a woman, were wounded when a drone strike hit their house in the town of Abu Rasin, which is also located in the northern al-Hasakah countryside.
The SDF has been refraining from responding to recent Turkish drone strikes. The group is apparently attempting to prevent further military escalation in northern and northeastern Syria.
