Post-earthquake rescue efforts continue in harsh conditions on both sides of the Turkish-Syrian border, while recent military strikes near the northern Syrian district of Tel Rifaat proved that Turkey’s ongoing hostility towards Kurdish forces in Syria has not eased up despite the disastrous calamity.
Turkish forces shelled the area around the town of Tel Rifat in the northern countryside of Aleppo in the early hours of Tuesday after two devastating earthquakes struck both southeast Turkey and northern Syria on Monday, North Press Agency (NPA) reported.
The offensive took place while thousands of people remain under rubble, waiting for aid and rescue teams to arrive on a freezing cold night after the earthquakes have killed thousands of people.
The shelling caused damage to residential houses, according to a source NPA cited.
The town of Tel Rifaat has been a shelter for displaced Kurds from Afrin since 2018 when Turkey launched a cross-border operation to take control of the district and drove the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration out, which resulted in the displacement of about 300,000 people in the region.
The Turkish government has been conducting military operations in Syria since 2016 to establish a 30-kilometre (19 miles) safe-zone in northern Syria along its southern border.
