Turkey shells Rojava's Afrin, kills civilians

AFRIN, Syrian Kurdistan (Kurdistan24) – On Wednesday, at least four Syrian Kurdish fighters and several civilians lost their lives when the Turkish army bombed the outskirts of Syria’s northwestern Kurdish city of Afrin.  

Speaking to Kurdistan24 from Afrin, Mihemed Billo, a journalist and activist, reported that five people lost their lives and eight others were wounded in the bombardment on a village near the town of Rajo on the Turkish borders.

“The village of Surke near Rajo was shelled heavily by artillery last night and a drone hovered on the village and bombarded a police station,” Billo said.

On the reasons for the shelling, Billo explained that Turkey aims at impeding the advancement of the Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the areas held by the Islamic State (IS) insurgents.   

“Turkey shells the Kurdish areas in Syria when the SDF controls areas held by Daesh [IS], the Turkish-based Syrian rebels, or the Al Qaeda-affiliated groups such as Al-Nusra front,” Billo said.

Additionally, the YPG command in Afrin said in a statement that four YPG fighters lost their lives in the bombardment by the Turkish army on Surka village near Rajo.

“The fighters Rifat Rashid, 23, Zakaria Abed, 24, Mohammad Khalaf, 20, and Yousef Jasem, 28, lost their lives in the shelling by the Turkish army,” the YPG statement reads.

The statement further pointed out that the Turkish army shelled a border post in the village of Surke by tanks, heavy weapons and mortar shells.

Many other fighters were injured and transported to the Avarin hospital in Afrin, the statement added.

Afrin which is controlled by the Kurdish forces of People’s Protection Units (YPG) is under siege and is separated from other Syrian Kurdish areas by Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda-affiliate, Nusra, from the east, Syrian Army from the south, and the blocked Turkish borders from the north and west.

Editing by Ava Homa