Turkish drone attack injures one SDF fighter near Tal Tamir: Monitor

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Turkish drone on Monday targeted a military point of Kurdish forces in the vicinity of Tal Tamir, northern Syria, leading to the injury of a fighter, a war monitor reported. 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the Turkish drone hit a US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) military point in Tal Laben village in Tal Tamir, northwest Hasaka. “It led to the injury of a fighter from the Council,” added the UK-based monitor, referring to the SDF’s local military council. 

SOHR also said that Ankara has carried out 32 air strikes against Kurdish forces in northeast Syria (Rojava) since the beginning of this year, killing 20 fighters, children and women as well as injuring 62 others. 

The Rojava Information Centre, a local monitor group affiliated to the Kurdish administration, also reported the drone attack by Turkey, saying it led to the injury of “one person.”   

Turkey has recently renewed threats to carry out a new military operation against the Kurdish-led SDF in northern Syria’s Manbij and Tal Rifaat towns in a bid to complete the 30 kilometer “safe zone” it began creating along its southern borders in recent years. 

Ankara claims that the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the backbone of the SDF, is the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which is an armed group fighting for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey. Ankara considers both the PKK and YPG as terrorist organizations and a threat to its national security.