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Syria
From left: HRW logo and Hasaka residents gather around a water tank to fill up their jerry-cans. Date: May 8, 2023. Photo: HRW
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday accused Turkey of damaging critical infrastructure in northeast Syria (Rojava) during its latest airstrikes, calling on Ankara to “urgently '' stop its targeting of these positions to prevent further damages to water and power stations.
Turkish drones hit several power and water stations and oil fields in Rojava early this month for days under the pretext of retaliating against a suicide attack in Ankara which was claimed by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). As a result, most of Rojava’s key water and power facilities were severely damaged and numerous people, including civilians, were killed.
The HRW revealed in a report on Thursday that the bombardments had “ damaged critical infrastructure and resulted in water and electricity disruptions for millions of people.”
The rights organization added that Rojava people were “already facing a severe water crisis, now also bear the brunt of increased bombardment, exacerbating their struggle to get essential water supplies,” stating that “Turkey should urgently stop targeting critical infrastructure necessary for residents’ rights and well-being, including power and water stations.”
Turkey has not denied targeting the Rojava infrastructure, publicly warning that these facilities were their “legitimate targets.”
PKK is an armed group struggling for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey but is proscribed as a terrorist organization by Ankara. Turkey also considers the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the backbone of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as the Syrian offshoot of the PKK.
RELATED: Turkish attacks cause widespread blackout in Rojava: Official
Turkey hit 264 sites in northeast Syria in the first ten days of its intense bombardment of the region, including 185 residential areas and at least 31 civilian facilities such as a school and a hospital, according to the North Press Agency (NPA).
"By targeting critical infrastructure across northeast Syria, including power and water stations, Turkey has flouted its responsibility to ensure that its military actions do not aggravate the region's already dire humanitarian crisis.” said Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at HRW, was cited in the report by the international rights group as saying.
Water scarcity has forced communities to instead rely on “poor-quality and untested” water from unregulated trucks, according to the HRW.
“Lack of safe and sufficient water supply for drinking, cooking, hygiene, and sanitation has led people to turn to unsafe water sources, increasing water-borne health risks such as cholera,” warned the New York City based rights group.
Many Kurds accused Turkish officials of hypocrisy when they slammed Israel for damaging Gaza city during the latest clashes between Israel and Hamas Movement following a deadly surprise attack by the latter.
“Depriving 2 million Gazans living in a total area of 360 square kilometres from electricity, water, fuel, and food is neither humane nor has any place in the rule of war,” said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on October 12.
Turkey has recently targeted several power stations in northeast Syria (Rojava), causing a widespread blackout in many towns and villages.
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) October 7, 2023
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