50 hours of unprecedented Turkish escalation on northeast Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – During the past 50 hours, several areas of north and east Syria have witnessed an unprecedented bombardment by Turkish forces and their affiliated armed opposition factions, known as the Syrian National Army (SNA).
Northern Hasakah
On Tuesday, several areas on the contact lines – between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Turkish forces in north of Hasakah – witnessed a frequent flight of Russian warplanes, as they hovered twice over the areas within hours, which is “unfamiliar,” as described by eyewitnesses.
A source of Tel Tamr Military Council, affiliated with the SDF, told North Press that the Turkish forces shelled at dawn on Tuesday the villages of al-Gozaliya, Tel al-Laban and Salamsa, west of Tel Tamr town, which killed Ibrahim Muhammad Hashi from the village of Salamsa.
On Monday, the residents of the village of Chatal, at the town of Derbasiyah, woke up to the sound of Turkish artillery shells targeting their village.
Eyewitnesses told North Press that six shells landed on the outskirts of the village, prompting its residents to flee towards the villages of Tel Gideesh and Tel Hussan in the south.
Less than an hour later, people of the town of Abu Rasin (Zirgan) and its countryside fled towards the east, after the Turkish forces struck them with three shells and hit a Telecommunications tower, which caused a communications blackout in the area.
Two hours later, Turkish artillery hit the villages of Tel al-Laban and al-Gozaliya, west of Tel Tamr, causing displacement in the two villages.
Soon after, Turkish artillery targeted the village of Quboor al-Qarajneh in the countryside of Tal Tamr.
On Monday evening, Turkish artillery pounded the village of Tawila in Tel Tamr western countryside, near the M4 international highway.
East and west of Qamishli
On Tuesday, Turkish drones hovered over the villages of the town of Amuda, west of Qamishli city. This came hours after a Turkish drone struck a house in the village of Kharza, west of the town.
Also on Tuesday, Turkish forces targeted with two mortar shells a village north of Qamishli, resulting in the loss of four lives and the injury of three others, according to a military source.
On Monday, the Turkish forces hit the villages of Tel Ziwan with two mortar shells and Kartoub with two artillery shells, east of Qamishli.
They also targeted the villages of Khanika with three artillery shells, Tel Jernek with three shells, and Karamah with one shell in the countryside of Amuda, according to eyewitnesses.
In addition, on Monday and at 2:30 pm, the Turkish forces targeted with two mortar shells the vicinity of a military post affiliated with the Syrian government forces near the village Tel Hamdoun in the western countryside of Amuda.
Other areas
The northern countryside of Aleppo had its share of this bombardment, as two Turkish artillery shells hit on Tuesday the outskirts of Umm al-Qura village.
On Monday, Turkish artillery struck the vicinity of the town of Tel Rifaat in Aleppo northern countryside with several shells.
Also in northern Syria, a civilian was seriously wounded on Monday in a Turkish shelling of a village in the countryside of Ain Issa, a town north of Raqqa city.
During the past two weeks, the Turkish bombardment has killed three people and wounded 13 others, in addition to causing immeasurable material damage.