Austrian organization assesses damage of Turkish attacks on NE Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – An Austrian organization has inspected the damage caused by Turkish airstrikes in northern and northeastern Syria during a recent visit to the targeted sites to assess the extent of the destruction.
The Foreign Relations Department of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) announced on its official website that Alicia Allgäuer, Program Manager at Volkshilfe, visited their headquarters on Oct. 29 to assess the damages resulting from the recent Turkish attacks in northern Syria.
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 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.
Allgäuer conducted a field tour in the areas that were subjected to bombardment, including power stations, gas facilities, and oil installations, in order to assess the extent of the damage, according to the statement.
Volkshilfe (People’s Aid) is an organization that provides services to displaced people and refugees, as well as war-affected areas. It has branches in various parts of the world and focuses on providing assistance in crisis areas, according to the Foreign Relations Department.
During the meeting, the two parties discussed the humanitarian situation in northern and eastern Syria and the mechanism for providing humanitarian aid to the region by the organization.
Samar al-Abdullah, co-chair of the Foreign Relations Department, provided a comprehensive briefing on the Turkish attacks and the resulting damages, which targeted economic and service sectors, as well as vital facilities that affect the daily lives of the population, as stated in the press release.