ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A suspected Turkish drone strike near the Kurdish city of Kobane in northern Syria late Saturday killed three civilians, including a 12-year-old child, according to Kurdish forces stationed in the area.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said that the Turkish army “committed another crime in the village of al-Raqas in the Chalabiya district, targeting a group of civilians using a drone” and killing three civilians, adding that a child was among the casualties.
The drone strike coincides with an ongoing Turkish aerial offensive dubbed Operation-Claw Sword targeting Kurdish forces of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) - the backbone of the SDF - as well as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Syria and the Kurdistan Region. The operation, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is a prelude to a looming ground offensive that Ankara intends to launch in the region.
According to the SDF, Turkey’s ongoing attacks in northern Syria have killed 16 civilians so far in December.
Turkey considers the YPG as the Syrian front for the PKK, and frequently targets the Kurdish force through airstrikes and drone attacks southward across its border.
The PKK is a Kurdish armed group fighting for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey and is outlawed as a terrorist organization by Ankara.
The SDF and the US have repeatedly threatened that a Turkish ground offensive in the area would jeopardize hard-earned gains made in the years-long fight against the Islamic State (ISIS).
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said that the Turkish army “committed another crime in the village of al-Raqas in the Chalabiya district, targeting a group of civilians using a drone” and killing three civilians, adding that a child was among the casualties.
The drone strike coincides with an ongoing Turkish aerial offensive dubbed Operation-Claw Sword targeting Kurdish forces of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) - the backbone of the SDF - as well as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Syria and the Kurdistan Region. The operation, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is a prelude to a looming ground offensive that Ankara intends to launch in the region.
According to the SDF, Turkey’s ongoing attacks in northern Syria have killed 16 civilians so far in December.
Turkey considers the YPG as the Syrian front for the PKK, and frequently targets the Kurdish force through airstrikes and drone attacks southward across its border.
The PKK is a Kurdish armed group fighting for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey and is outlawed as a terrorist organization by Ankara.
The SDF and the US have repeatedly threatened that a Turkish ground offensive in the area would jeopardize hard-earned gains made in the years-long fight against the Islamic State (ISIS).
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