SDF says it strikes Turkish army in three border towns inside Turkey

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The media centre of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Thursday said the SDF hit the Turkish army in the border cities of Urfa (Riha), Antep (Dilok), and Mardin.

The SDF said in a statement that the operations were a in response to Turkish shellings and drone strikes against SDF-held areas on August 16.

Due to one Turkish drone strike, five conscripts of SDF-linked forces were killed on Tuesday near Amude.

One child was also killed by the Turkish shelling on Zorava, east of Kobani.

“In retaliation to these aggressions, our forces have conducted three effective operations against the Turkish occupying army in the border cities of Riha, Dilok, and Mardin,” the SDF stated.

The SDF said seven Turkish soldiers were killed in the operations.

Also, on August 11, the SDF claimed that they carried out an operation near the Turkish border on August 8, after Turkey carried out several drone strikes in northern Syria.

Read More: SDF says its carried operation on Turkish border near Mardin

Since May, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been threatening to launch a new offensive in northern Syria.

After his threat, the number of Turkish drone strikes, bombings, and shellings have increased in northern Syria.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday issued a question-and-answer document, in which they called on parties to the conflict in northern Syria to “minimize civilian harm during ongoing and future military operations there.”

Read More: New Turkish military incursion could worsen humanitarian situation in northern Syria: HRW

“Turkey and its allies have previously killed and arbitrarily arrested civilians following cross-border military operations in Syria,” HRW said in the statement.