Turkish drones conducting air strikes have targeted civil infrastructure and public services on the fourth day of the offensive against Kurdish-held regions in north and east Syria.
The drones targeted power stations in al-Suwaidiyya on Wednesday, causing significant damage to the facility and cutting off the electricity supply to al- Jazira city centre and connected districts, Hawar News Agency reported.
Several towns in the al-Jazira region suffered power outages, while another strike hit a medical centre in Qarmog village that served the 10 surrounding villages. Turkish drones had taken down a COVID-19 hospital before in the city of Kobane, Syrian Democratic Forces’ media chief Farhad Shami said.
2/3 The Turkish artillery also shelled the health center in Qarmog village, which serves about 10 villages. In addition to destroying the Corona Hospital in Kobane city with aerial bombardment.
— Farhad Shami (@farhad_shami) November 23, 2022
The SDF believes Turkey is using the 13 November explosion in Istanbul, where six civilians lost their lives, as an excuse to launch its attacks against northern Syria. Ankara has long been hinting at an operation, but did not launch one until Sunday. Meanwhile, SDF and other Kurdish forces have denied any involvement with the bombing and point to ISIS and Turkey-backed Syrian opposition groups for responsibility.
Wednesday also saw drone strikes on Qamishlo city centre, where one civilian was killed. With this addition, there have been 15 civilian deaths and 11 more from Kurdish forces since the air strikes began, SDF said in a statement.
There have been 3,761 counts of strikes, with drones, tanks and heavy artillery. The area “from Derek to Qamishlo, al-Hasaka, Kobane, Deir Ezzor and even parts of Shahba” has come under fire, SDF said.
The group believes Turkish strikes have deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure and public services to spread panic and instability in the area.
