Coalition stance on Turkish attacks “insufficient” – Syria’s Hasakah Council
HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – Official of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) described on Monday the statement of the US-led Global Coalition to defeat ISIS regarding the recent Turkish drone strike on a rehabilitation center for minors in the countryside of Hasakah, northeastern Syria as “insufficient.”
On August 18, a Turkish drone targeted a UN-affiliated center in a village on the road between the city of Hasakah and the town of Tel Tamr in northeast Syria.
After the attack, Maj. Gen. John Brennan, the commander of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), said in a statement, “An armed unmanned aerial system struck a group of teenaged girls playing volleyball who were active in a United Nations educational outreach program in Hasakah.”
The US-led Coalition did not mention the perpetrator or rather averted being named, as locals believe.
Khabat Suleiman, co-chair of the AANES Hasakah Region Council told North Press that the Coalition should take more firm and strict stances regarding these attacks and prevent Turkish drones from flying over the area, especially after they significantly increased their assaults in the region recently.
The UN-affiliated center was opened based on an agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the United Nations.
The deal stipulates excluding all minors from the SDF military ranks and opening rehabilitation centers for them.
“Many similar centers were opened to rehabilitate and train those children under the supervision of international organizations specialized in this regard,” Suleiman said.
“The Turkish drone strikes – which do not distinguish between civilians and military personnel – have increased for the last four months, creating instability in the region and threatening to revive ISIS sleeper cells,” Suleiman added.