Turkey fires 58 shells on Syria’s Aleppo, government soldiers wounded
ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – On Sunday, Turkish forces and their affiliated armed opposition factions, also known as Syrian National Army (SNA), fired 58 artillery shells on several villages in the northern countryside of Aleppo (Shahba region), which resulted in the injury of two soldiers of Syrian government forces, after targeting their checkpoint in the village of Tanab.
More than 30 Turkish shells fell on the villages of Tanab, al-Malikiyah, Tat Marash, Tel Ajar, Kafr Anton and Shawargha of Sharran district in the southeastern countryside of Afrin in northern Syria, a military source told North Press.
The aforementioned villages are under the military control of both Russian and the Syrian government forces.
About 25 Turkish artillery shells targeted the outskirts of the villages of Aqiba and Ibbin in Shahba region, an eyewitness told North Press.
Another military source told North Press that the source of the shelling is Turkish artillery which is stationing in Scientific Research Center in the village of Nada, near the city of Azaz, north of Aleppo city.
An eyewitness in Tel Rifaat town said that about six Turkish shells hit the outskirts of the town.
On July 23, the Turkish forces targeted the villages of Hasajek and Umm Qura in Shahba region with four artillery shells.
The northern countryside of Aleppo governorate, also known as Shahba region, houses IDPs of the Kurdish city of Afrin which was occupied in 2018 by Turkey following a military operation called “Olive Branch” to push away the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) under the pretext of protecting Turkey’s “national security”.
The operation caused the displacement of about 300.000 of the original inhabitants of the Kurds of Afrin who have been taking shelter in 42 villages and five camps in Shahba region since then.
There are about 16.000 displaced families from Afrin distributed over 42 villages and towns in Shahba region, in addition to 1.870 families, comprising 7.500 individuals, now living in the camps of Barkhodan, Sardam, Afrin, al-Awda, and Shahba, according to the Social Affairs and Labor Board of the Afrin region, currently operating in Shahba region.
The area has been militarily protected by Russian and Syrian government forces since 2018.
Following Tehran’s summit on July 19, Turkey has been using drones extensively in north and east Syria, targeting civilians and military vehicles, and sometimes vital facilities and empty farmlands.