Turkish attacks on NE Syria exacerbate humanitarian crisis – HRW
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Human Rights Watch condemned on Thursday the recent Turkish drone strikes on “Kurdish-held areas of northeast Syria”, saying that they have damaged critical infrastructure and resulted in water and electricity outages for millions of people.
The Human Rights Watch reported that people of the region are “already facing a severe water crisis, now also bear the brunt of increased bombardment, exacerbating their struggle to get essential water supplies.”
“Turkey has flouted its responsibility to ensure that its military actions do not aggravate the region’s already dire humanitarian crisis.” said Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.
The organization urged Turkey to stop targeting “critical infrastructure necessary for residents’ rights and well-being, including power and water stations.”
The strikes killed dozens of people including civilians, and damaged civilian structures in the governorates of Hasakah, Raqqa, and Aleppo, the Human Rights Watch said, citing civic groups.
“Critical oil installations and the only operational gas plant for domestic use in northeast Syria were also damaged by the attacks,” the HRW added.
From Oct.5 to Oct. 9, Turkey attacked 104 sites in northern and northeastern Syria, including vital infrastructure such as power, gas, and water stations and educational facilities, with more than 580 air and ground strikes, according to a statement by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (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.
By Emma Jamal