Turkish strikes leave Syria’s Qamishli without water
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – An official from the Water Directorate of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) in the city of Qamishli, northeastern Syria, said on Saturday the city is without water due to the Turkish strikes.
Wassil Assad told North Press, “The city is completely without water due to Turkey’s targeting of the Sweidiya gas and power station in the countryside of Derik, which supplied water stations in the region with electricity.”
On Oct. 5, the Turkish army launched drone strikes on infrastructure facilities in several areas of north and northeast Syria that is run by the AANES. The strikes took place following a statement by Turkey’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan, in which he threatened to strike a broader range of targets in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for the Ankara attack.
On Oct. 1, two individuals carried out a bomb attack in front of the building of the Ministry of Interior in Turkey’s Ankara injuring two police officers.
On Oct. 4, Fidan claimed that the two attackers had been trained in Syria. “From now on, all infrastructure, large facilities and energy facilities belonging to (armed Kurdish groups) in Iraq and Syria are legitimate targets for our security forces,” he threatened.
The Sweidiya gas and power station was completely out of service as a result of a series of Turkish strikes.
Asaad said, “We will operate private power generators for each water station to supply them with electricity in order to distribute water to the neighborhoods in the city.” He explained that “these generators cannot operate 24 hours per day, and specific hours will be allocated for their operation.”
“Currently, we cannot repair any damages as Turkey continues to target vital service and energy facilities,” Asaad stated.
According to the Monitoring and Documentation Department of North Press, the Turkish bombardment targeted a total of 131 positions, including 21 infrastructure sites, 76 residential areas, 23 military sites – 13 of which belonged to Syrian government forces – six farmlands, three industrial plants, one school, and one hospital.
These attacks were distributed across several cities and their surroundings, including 21 sites in Qamishli, 26 in Hasakah, 27 in Aleppo northern countryside, nine in Derik, 25 in Ain Issa, 16 in Kobani, and seven in Manbij.
The number of strikes reached 180, including 117 artillery strikes, 17 airstrikes, and 45 drone strikes, according to the department.
The casualties amounted to 25 people, with 17 losing their lives, including 10 civilians, while eight others, including five civilians (one of them is a child), were injured, according to the department.