Turkish forces shell areas in NE Syria 12 times in week
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Turkish forces and their affiliated armed Syrian opposition factions have escalated their shelling of areas in northeastern Syria since early September, targeting contact line areas 12 times.
The Turkish shelling of the northern countryside of the cities of Hasakah, Raqqa and the town of Tel Tamris an ongoing violation of signed ceasefire agreements of 2019.
As a result, massive damage was reported in civilians’ possessions and a power transformer plant.
Following the Turkish incursion in October 2019, Turkey signed two ceasefire agreements, one with Russia and the other with the US stipulating ceasing all hostilities and the withdrawal of the SDF 32 km away from the Turkish border.
The SDF did withdrew from the border areas according to the agreement, but Turkey continues targeting the area.
On September 1, the Turkish forces targeted three villages in Tel Tamr, causing the power transformer station to get out service.
Tel Tamr, which has a population of about 25.000 and is 30 km away from the Syrian-Turkish border, is of strategic importance as it is a junction on the M4 Highway linking the Jazira region in northeast Syria to Aleppo governorate in northwest.
The town has been under constant attack by Turkish forces and their affiliated Syrian opposition factions, known as the Syrian National Army (SNA), for more than two years.
A Turkish shell also fell on al-Hamra neighborhood near a Russian base, which was the first time to hit the town center by the Turkish forces.
Later, the attacks repeated, with the Turkish forces shelling the countryside of Tel Tamr for six successive days, targeting many villages on the contact lines, including the Christian villages of Tel Shnan, Tel Jum’a, Tel Tawila and Tel Keifji.
The shelling caused massive damage to the residents’ properties, leaving those villages almost empty of their residents due to the persistent shelling.
On September 7, the Turkish forces hit six villages of Aboush, Tel Shnan, Dardara, Tel Juma, Tel Tawila, and al-Mjebra in Tel Tamr countryside in addition to targeting the area surrounding the Russian base north of Tel Tamr.
Russian troops stationed in al-Mabaqer station north of the town did not show any reaction to this shelling.
In the countryside of the town of Ain Issa and the city of Tel Abyad north of Raqqa, the Turkish forces targeted villages on the contact line three times since the beginning of the current month.
On September, 1, 3, 5, the villages of Kor Hassan and Khirbet Baqar in Tel Abyad countryside and the villages of al-Hisha, al-Fatsa, the vicinity of Ain Issa camp and the M4 Highway in Ain Issa countryside were subjected to attacks with heavy weapons.
Material losses were reported in the residents’ properties.