Turkish forces launched a series of attacks on northern Syria on Saturday evening, targeting both civilian areas and critical infrastructure. The assault, which began with the shelling of three villages north of the city of Manbij (Minbic), expanded to include air strikes on oil facilities and vital installations in the countryside of Qamishli (Qamişlo) and Al-Malikiyah (Dêrik).
Turkish warplanes specifically targeted the Agricultural Bank, the Sa’eeda oil field and the Oda oil field near the town of Al-Qahtaniyah (Tirbespî) in the Qamishli region, the North Press Agency reported.
The electricity production plant in Al-Malikiyah was also the focus of the air strikes. Air strikes on the region have left the area without electricity. At least one civilian was injured, the Hawar news agency reported.
Earlier in the day, there were also reports of the downing of a drone of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) armed opposition group west of Manbij.
The Turkish attacks on Kurdish-held areas in Syria are believed to be in retaliation for military losses suffered by Turkish forces during operations against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) positions in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The People’s Defence Forces (HPG), the military wing of the PKK, claimed to have inflicted significant casualties on the Turkish military, saying at least 36 Turkish soldiers had been killed. Twelve casualties were acknowledged by the Turkish defence ministry.
Before the attacks in Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had been threatening retaliation for the killing of 12 Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq. His vow was to target both northern Syria and Iraq in response.
