SDF says four of its fighters killed in Turkish attack
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced that four of its fighters were killed as a result of a Turkish drone strike in northeast Syria (Rojava) on Thursday evening.
The Turkish drone targeted a vehicle carrying six members of the Kurdish-led forces on the road to Hermi Shekho village, 10 kilometers west of Qamishli, killing four of the fighters and wounding the other two, according to a statement from the SDF.
The statement claimed that the fighters “were heading home for their monthly vacation” when the strike occurred.
Ankara frequently targets the SDF and its Kurdish backbone the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria on the grounds that they have links with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and pose a threat to Turkey.
Four SDF fighters were killed in a Turkish drone strike in Hasaka in late July.
The PKK is an armed group fighting for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey. Ankara considers the group and its alleged offshoots in Syria as terrorist organizations and has carried out two major military operations against them since 2018.
Turkish drones have carried out at least 30 attacks on areas controlled by the SDF in 2023, killing at least 49 people and injuring 39 others, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
The Turkish drone targeted a vehicle carrying six members of the Kurdish-led forces on the road to Hermi Shekho village, 10 kilometers west of Qamishli, killing four of the fighters and wounding the other two, according to a statement from the SDF.
The statement claimed that the fighters “were heading home for their monthly vacation” when the strike occurred.
Ankara frequently targets the SDF and its Kurdish backbone the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria on the grounds that they have links with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and pose a threat to Turkey.
Four SDF fighters were killed in a Turkish drone strike in Hasaka in late July.
The PKK is an armed group fighting for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey. Ankara considers the group and its alleged offshoots in Syria as terrorist organizations and has carried out two major military operations against them since 2018.
Turkish drones have carried out at least 30 attacks on areas controlled by the SDF in 2023, killing at least 49 people and injuring 39 others, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).