Turkish attacks have wreaked havoc on the infrastructure of North and East Syria, causing damages exceeding $1 billion, as detailed in a report by ANHA agency on 2 October.
The attacks, which escalated on 4 October, targeted key facilities including energy and water installations, as well as electricity generation plants. Ahmed Ibrahim, the director of oil fields in Rmelan (Rimêlan), stated that the attacks have severely impacted services provided to citizens.
The report separated the damages into ten categories, each relating to different establishments. For instance, the Odeh gas field in the Al-Qahtaniyah (Tirbespiyê) district suffered losses estimated at around $35 million. Meanwhile, Suwaydiya (Sewediya) II facility, a major oil collection station, saw all its devices and equipment burnt, with losses amounting to $96 million.
In addition to oil and gas facilities, the attacks also damaged main electricity transformers and feeding cables. The financial toll of these damages reached $37 million. Transfer stations in areas such as Amuda (Amûdê), Al-Qahtaniyah and the city of Qamushli (Qamişlo) were directly targeted, leaving them completely out of service and depriving local residents of electricity.
The report also highlighted the human cost of the attacks. Between 4 and 11 October, 47 citizens were killed and more than 59 others were injured, including fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Internal Security Forces (Asayish).
Ahmed Ibrahim urged citizens to understand the gravity of the situation and to cooperate in mitigating the effects of the attacks. He also criticised the duplicity of international organisations in dealing with the issue, stating that the attacks amount to war crimes.
This is not the first time Turkish forces have targeted the region’s infrastructure. During 20-23 November 2022, similar attacks were carried out, leading to systematic bombings of oil, gas and electricity stations.
