Turkish drone strikes suspected civilian cars near northern Syria's Kobani

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A Turkish drone on Friday allegedly struck two civilian vehicles in rural northern Syria, according to the local Hawar News Agency (ANHA).

The incident occurred on the Kobani-Aleppo road near the village of Qemci, south of the city of Kobani, Aleppo province, ANHA reported. The local Internal Security Forces and Civil Police reportedly cordoned off the area.

No casualties have been reported so far.

After Turkey attacked northeastern Syria in October 2019, Russia and the US reached separate ceasefire deals with Ankara, both of which allowed Turkish troops to control the area between Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain (Serikaniye).

Despite the agreements, Turkish-backed groups and the Turkish army continue to occasionally target areas held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the US-led coalition's main partner in the fight against ISIS in Syria.

Ankara accuses the SDF's Kurdish component of being the Syrian arm of the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) which it considers a terrorist organization. Turkey claims its cross-border operations, which have sparked accusations of war crimes, target the PKK.

Turkish drone attacks have killed several civilians since late 2019. In response, SDF-linked forces have shelled Turkish-backed forces.

This week, Turkish-backed militant groups have also shelled Kurdish-led forces in northern Aleppo's Manbij and Tal Tamr. Last Saturday, two Turkish soldiers were killed in an alleged SDF shelling in the al-Bab area.

In June 2020, a drone strike suspected to have been carried out by the Turkish military killed three Kurdish women’s rights activists in Kobani, a city once besieged by ISIS.

Read More: Turkish drone strike kills 3 women in north Syria's Kurdish city of Kobani

"Turkey has a quiet agreement with the Coalition that it can target PKK operatives in Syria, even in SDF-controlled territory," Nicholas Heras, a Senior Analyst and Program Head for State Resilience and Fragility at the Newlines Institute in Washington, D.C., told Kurdistan 24.

"There is still an open channel of intelligence sharing between Turkey and the U.S. concerning PKK operatives. The U.S. has been a big help to Turkey in Turkey's campaign against the PKK in Iraq," Heras added.

"In Syria, Turkey operates more cautiously and these strikes are conducted only when both opportunity and permission are available."