QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – In less than a week, two bases operated by the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS were targeted by Turkish forces as the US voices rejection to any Turkish ground operation in north and east Syria urging Turkey to de-escalate tension.
On Friday, US Central Command said that rockets were fired towards a base held by US troops in the town of Shaddadi, south Hasakah.
The attack resulted in no injuries or damage to the base or any coalition property.
The Central Command has made no commentary yet regarding who is behind the attack.
A military source told North Press, “Four rockets exploded close to the US base and a building pertaining to Jabsa [gas] field located at the outskirts of the sub-district of Shaddadi.”
Following the attack Internal Security Forces of North and East Syria (Asayish) went on alert while US helicopters and warplanes hovered over the area.
“Attacks of this kind place coalition forces and the civilian populace at risk and undermine the hard-earned stability and security of Syria and the region,” said Col. Joe Buccino, CENTCOM spokesman.
This comes as at a time where Turkey is launching an aerial bombardment and artillery shelling against northeast Syria since November 20, in which infrastructure, especially energy facilities, have been intensively targeted in addition to posts held by the Syrian government forces and villages on the border.
Two days prior to the Shaddadi attack, a Turkish drone struck a joint base operated by the Global Coalition and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Hasakah Governorate.
At the time, the SDF said in a statement that two of its Counter- Terrorism Units (YAT) were killed and three others were reported injured, two of them severely.
The Coalition operates in bases in east of the Euphrates at al-Omar Oil Field in eastern Deir ez-Zor Governorate and al-Tanf Base, 24 km distance to the west of al-Waleed border crossing where borders of Syria, Iraq and Jordan meet.
There is also a base in Hasakah, another one in Himo village in west of Qamishli city and a third further south in Tel Fares adjacent to the Qamishli Airport.
With US endeavors to prevent any potential ground operation, Turkey goes on to shell the region. On Saturday, Turkish forces resumed shelling a number of areas in the northern countryside of Hasakah.
Military posts held by Syrian government forces in the northern countryside of Aleppo and the villages of Zormaghar and Chareqli, in west of Kobani city and Kolteb and Goran in the east were also shelled.
In a press conference via Zoom with a number of journalists, SDF Commander in Chief Mazloum Abdi said Turkey is preparing for an attack on Kobani, Tel Rifaat and Manbij.
Such a ground operation, if takes place, would put US bases within the firing range of Turkish forces anew as Abdi noted. “All Syria-Turkish border will be a war zone” if Turkey commences war.
Locals are perturbed with fears that the US could repeat the 2019 scenario of Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad when it withdrew its forces from northeast Syria.
As Turkey remains determined to launch a ground offensive into the region, questions are posed whether the US would restrain Ankara or not.