Erdogan declares end of ‘first phase’ of operation in NE Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday what he described the ‘first phase’ of Turkey’s operations against northern Syria and Iraq has ended.
From Oct. 5 to 9, 172 sites in areas and cities in north and northeast Syria were hit by Turkish airstrikes, shells, and drone attacks, targeting residential areas, military posts and infrastructure, including oil fields, gas plants, power stations, and others, according to the Monitoring and Documentation Department of North Press.
The strikes took place following a statement by Turkey’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan, in which he threatened to strike a range of targets in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for a suicide bombing attack in Ankara on Oct. 1. In the same day, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been waging an insurgency against Turkey for the last 40 years, claimed responsibility for the attack.
On Oct. 4, Fidan claimed that the two attackers had been trained in northern Syria in areas held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which Ankara views as an offshoot of the PKK. “From now on, all infrastructure, large facilities and energy facilities belonging to (armed Kurdish groups) in Iraq and Syria are legitimate targets for our security forces,” he said.
The SDF Commander in Chief, Mazloum Abdi, dismissed Turkish claims of the attackers having been trained in SDF-held areas. “Ankara’s attack perpetrators haven’t passed through our region as Turkish officials claim, and we aren’t party to Turkey’s internal conflict nor we encourage escalation,” he said on X platform on Oct. 4. “Turkey is looking for pretexts to legitimize its ongoing attacks on our region and to launch a new military aggression that is of our deep concern.”
Erdogan said on Monday, “The first phase of our operation, in which we targeted only members of the terrorist organization, facilities used by terrorists, sources of income and capabilities of terrorism, was completed successfully.”
However, the Turkish attacks have significantly affected the livelihood of civilians in north and northeast Syria, depriving them of water and power by targeting infrastructure.
One of the heavily damaged facilities is the Sweidiya gas plant in the countryside of Derik, far northeastern Syria. Repairing the installation, which supplies power and gas to nearly the entire region, has been estimated to cost $100 million, according to Agid Abdulmajid, director of the plant.
Erdogan also expressed his dissatisfaction with the US downing a Turkish drone near a US base on Oct. 5 in the region. “As in every operation, we experienced the biggest problem with our [US] ally.”
Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said on the same day in a press briefing that a Turkish drone entered a restricted operating zone in northeast Syria, adding that US commanders assessed the drone was a “potential threat,” leading an F-16 to shoot it down.