Turkish forces bombard village in northeast Syria’s Tal Tamr countryside: SOHR

"This coincided with extensive ground shelling and displacement of residents towards safer areas following the Turkish military escalation and damages to public institutions."
Turkish artillery firing at a target (Photo: Turkish Defense Ministry)
Turkish artillery firing at a target (Photo: Turkish Defense Ministry)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Turkish forces targeted the village of Al-Tawilah and surrounding areas in northeast Syria’s Tal Tamr countryside with rockets and artillery fire, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Saturday. 

The SOHR report noted that the bombardment came as part of a “daily escalation and shelling by Turkish forces” and allied Syrian militias that occupy large swathes of northeast Syria that they invaded in October 2019. 

Turkish artillery shells struck the Internal Security Forces (Asayish in Kurdish) building in Abu Rasin (Zirgan in Kurdish), causing damage. Furthermore, Turkish artillery bombardment on the town hit a cellular communications tower there, “cutting communication services off to the residents.” 

“This coincided with extensive ground shelling and displacement of residents towards safer areas following the Turkish military escalation and damages to public institutions,” read the SOHR report. 

Citing its network of activists in Syria, SOHR also reported that Turkish forces based in northwest Syria’s Marea “have intensively shelled the villages of Harbel, Al-Sheikh Issa and the outskirts of Tal Rifaat in the northern countryside of Aleppo at midnight.” 

Kurdish forces in the area responded by firing mortar shells at Marea city and the Turkish base in Sandaf village. 

“No further details have been reported yet about the number of casualties and material damage caused by this bombardment,” SOHR noted.