ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – A state of anxiety prevails among the people of the northern countryside of Aleppo since Turkey has intensified its artillery and aerial bombardment on the area and other regions in north and northeast Syria.
“We are afraid of the repetition of the past years’ scenarios, but this time under Turkish coverage and international approval,” said Adnan Mustafa, 43, from the Shiite town of Nubl.
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”.
Mustafa fear the things got worse and Turkey launches a ground operation in the area.
Since November 20, the Turkish forces have been carrying out a wide-scale aerial operation against north and northeast Syria, leaving tens of deaths and causing wide-range destruction in facilities and infrastructures.
Mustafa believes that both Nubl and Zahraa, two Shiite town in the north of Aleppo, face a more significant risk than that of Turkish-backed armed opposition factions in the beginning of Syrian war.
On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that tanks of the Turkish army will advance in the areas in northern Syria and Iraq soon to attack positions of what he claimed to be “terrorist organizations.”
“Any Turkish offensive on Aleppo northern countryside will put us in front of difficult options that may lead us to displacement,” Mustafa added.
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 Aleppo northern countryside.
The area has been militarily protected by Russian and Syrian government forces since 2018.
Nouraddin al-Hussein, 48, from the village of Mesqan, cannot decide where to go in case Turkey launches a ground operation.
“The war will not be limited to Tel Rifaat and its vicinity, but it will include all villages. We do not know where we will end up,” al-Hussein said.
Ola Othman, 29, talked about the “bad” psychological state of her children due to the escalation of the Turkish bombardment on the area.
Her 8-year-old daughter rejected going to school alone though the school is close to the house.
Othman said the sounds of the shells fell on the neighboring villages have caused a state of panic. She is forced to accompany them to school.