Turkey and armed groups to attack Syria’s north and east regions
HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – Local sources revealed that a meeting between Turkish officers and leaders of the Syrian Turkish-backed armed opposition groups, took place on Tuesday, in the city of Azaz in the northern countryside of Aleppo, northwest Syria, during which they discussed the preparation of launching a broad offensive on the regions of Manbij, Ain Issa and Tel Tamer, in the north and northeast of Syria.
The sources told North Press that a large convoy of Turkish military headed to the countryside of Manbij, coming from Bab, al-Rai and Jarablus.
The convoy consisted of large number of vehicles, armored vehicles and soldiers, amid intense moves in the frontlines between the Turkish forces, its armed groups and the Manbij Military Council forces.
North Press also got certain information from military sources on monitoring gatherings of the armed groups in the villages of the northern countryside of Ain Issa town.
The preparations for these attacks came with an attack by the armed groups on the Umm al-Keif area, near the town of Tel Tamr.
As a result of, violent clashes between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the armed opposition groups accompanied by intense shelling on the area by those groups, took place.
The Turkish-backed groups bombed the Ain Issa camp area with mortar and artillery shells, wounding 3 citizens.
“The preparations for the attack on Ain Issa by Turkey and its mercenaries are serious, with fears of a major escalation of tension in the area,” military sources told North Press.
Besides, there is a possibility of violating the October 17th, 2019 agreement between U.S and Turkey.
This attack will cause a new wave of displacement in the area and a new humanitarian tragedy.
According to the monthly report issued by the Military Monitoring Office of SDF, during November, Turkish forces and its-backed armed groups have escalated their attacks on areas of the countryside of Tel Abyad and Sere Kaniye.
According to the office’s report, Turkey violated the October 17th agreement of 2019, by repeatedly and deliberately targeting villages, towns and sites along the length of the de-escalation line.
The Military Monitoring Office recorded violations, where the most violent of which, was the bombing of Ain Issa late in November.
On November 30, the armed groups attacked the village of Umm Keif in the countryside of Tel Tamr.
On November 27, the armed groups and the Turkish forces carried out an intense bombardment on Ain Issa city, wounding two children and a young man, as the group targeted with mortar and artillery shells the village of Basida in the western countryside of Tel Abyad.
A day earlier, the armed groups attacked the village of Abboush in the countryside of Tel Tamr, without achieving any progress, as no casualties reported.
On November 24 and 25, the Turkish forces with its affiliated groups bombed the city of Ain Issa, the villages western countryside of Tel Abyad.
Dozens of members of the attackers were killed and wounded near Ain Issa, and the groups were allowed to withdraw the bodies of their dead after Russian mediation.
In mid-November, a child was wounded during Turkish attacks on the village of Basida, and there were attacks on the Ain Issa camp, and the villages of Khalidiya, Hoshan, Saida, Kor Hassan, and other areas of the countryside of Tel Abyad without casualties reported.
On November 13, mutual clashes took place between the forces present in the area and the armed opposition groups, in response to the artillery shelling by those groups on the same day on the countryside of Tel Tamr.
The armed opposition group targeted, on November 9, the villages of Dada Abdullah, Safa, Um Harmalah, Nuweihat and other areas in Abu Rasin countryside.
On November 1, the armed groups shelled the Bir Kitik area in the western countryside of Tel Abyad, without casualties reported.
The Turkish intense shelling on Ain Issa and its surroundings in November displaced more people, after the displacement of more than 350,000 people during the offensive by the Turkish army and its backed-armed opposition groups on October 9, 2019.