MANBIJ, Syria (North Press) – Khedr fears that a shell might fall on his house which is located in a village on the north of Manbij in northern Syria, as the Turkish bombardments have recently increased against north and northeast Syria in general.
Khedr al-Issa, 41, from the village of Tokhar, northwest of Manbij, is afraid of Turkish shelling, missiles and drones, which could threaten the lives of his family in light of the repeated Turkish bombing of the residents’ homes and properties.
On June 12, the Turkish forces and the Turkish-backed opposition factions, known as the Syrian National army (SNA), targeted several villages in the Manbij region with dozens of artillery shells, mortars and drones, which resulted in deaths and injuries.
Since the start of the latest Turkish escalation, the fear of indiscriminate Turkish bombing has haunted the residents of the villages located on the contact line between the Manbij Military Council of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Turkish forces along with the Turkish-backed SNA factions.
Indiscriminate attacks
Al-Issa told North Press that he does not know where to go if Turkey starts bombing. The shells fell randomly, which makes him worried about the safety of his family if they remain in the village.
Al-Issa added that his concerns have increased with the start of the drone campaign which has targeted surrounding villages.
“We do not know when and where the drone will attack, claiming the lives of any of us,” he told North Press.
On June 13, the Manbij Military Council (MMC) announced that two of its fighters were killed in two separate Turkish drone attacks in the countryside of Manbij.
The MMC said in a statement that a Turkish reconnaissance drone struck an MMC checkpoint in the village of Dirrig, and that a similar attack hit an MMC post in the vicinity of the Qaraqozaq Bridge, east of Manbij.
On the same day, the Turkish forces and their affiliated opposition factions of SNA also shelled the village of Tokhar in the north of Manbij with dozens of artillery and mortar shells from their base located in the village of Tokhar Kabir.
The next day, the MMC announced that four of its fighters and a civilian were killed in two separate Turkish attacks in the countryside of Manbij, as Turkish forces and the SNA shelled a house in the village of Arab Hassan, leaving casualties.
The MMC said in a statement that a Turkish drone targeted its fighters while saving two children who were injured by shells of Turkish forces and the SNA in a farm in the village of al-Dandaniyah, northwest Manbij.
Drones terrify civilians
The fear from missiles and drones accompanies Saada al-Amin, 39, from the village of al-Dandaniyah, as she worries about the fate of her children in case of an attack.
In the past, Saada and other villagers were always afraid of shelling, but their fear has become more acute as of late, as drones have begun to bomb their villages. “The drone cannot be seen while it is bombing,” she says.
Jassim al-Omar, 45, from the village of al-Jat, north of Manbij, is also worried about the safety of his family if the Turkish bombardment of their village and homes continues with warplanes and missiles.
He told North Press that the humanitarian situation will become more difficult if Turkey continues its bombing of the villages on the front lines. He believes that it will cause large waves of displacement, as thousands of residents will leave those villages.
Al-Omar calls on the humanitarian organizations, the international community, and the guarantor countries to stop the Turkish bombing and violations of the rights of unarmed civilians.
Despite the repeated demands and fears of the residents, the guarantor countries of the ceasefire agreement remain silent and turn a blind eye of the Turkish aggression.
Following the Turkish “Peace Spring” incursion into northeastern Syria in October 2019, Turkey signed two ceasefire agreements, one with Russia and the other with the US, stipulating the cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) 32 km away from the Turkish border.