Four children were injured when a shell fired during Turkey’s attacks on the region exploded in a town in Syria’s northern province of Hasakah
North Press Agency reported that the shell had been launched by the Turkish Armed Forces and had fallen to ground without exploding a few days earlier. The children injured, all aged between 11 and 15, were nearby on Saturday when it finally exploded.
Other civilians have been injured in Turkey’s latest airstrikes besides these children, who are now under treatment in hospital. According to a report released by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Saturday, Turkey bombed 83 villages and farms inhabited by civilians between 20 November and 2 December.
Stating that Turkey employs heavy weapons in its attacks, the SDF noted that the shelling was focused on al-Shahba region, where many Kurds are living who had already been forcibly displaced once, when Turkish forces and their Syrian rebel allies took control of the Kurdish city of Afrin in 2018.
Turkish airstrikes against North and East Syria have continued unabated since 19 November. The targets of the airstrikes include medical centres, schools, power stations and water facilities, causing many to accuse Turkey of war crimes.
Syrian Kurdish groups who control the region Turkey is attacking are pursuing diplomatic efforts to prevent a ground invasion, following Turkey’s announcement that it intended to launch one in the region in the near future.
