40 dead as Turkish shelling, raids hit civilians near Jarabulus

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Turkish warplanes and artillery attacked two villages on Sunday south of Jarabulus, northern Syria, according to a Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spokesperson.

Sharvan Darwish, a SDF spokesperson, revealed that the attacks came after fighters of the Jarabulus Military Council responded to Turkish attacks on SDF troops near Jarabulus.

One Turkish soldier was killed, and three others wounded in the clashes while two tanks belonging to the Turkish Army were destroyed.

The shelling and raids targeted the villages of Amarnah and Birilkusa, south of Jarabulus.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 40 civilians reportedly lost their lives, and 75 others wounded.

Ankara had not denied or confirmed the civilians’ deaths in its attack on SDF positions.

However, Turkish state-run press agency Anadolu Agency (AA) quoted the Turkish military stating that 25 terrorists were neutralized in an air strike on Sunday.

“Five buildings used by the terrorists were also destroyed,” the Turkish military claimed.

On Wednesday, the Turkish army, allied with factions of the Free Syrian Army launched an offensive called “Euphrates Shield.”

According to AA, the operation “aimed at clearing terrorist groups from the Turkish border region, tightening border security, and supporting Syria’s territorial integrity.”

Moreover, Turkish fighter jets attacked positions on Saturday belonging to an ally of the Kurdish-led SDF in the vicinity of the northern Syrian town of Jarabulus on the Turkish border.

The YPG command said in a statement that at least 20 civilians died in Turkish airstrikes on the village of Jub al-Kousa.

A further 15 were killed in an air raid targeting a farm near the village of al-Amarna, which was captured from Jarabulus Military Council on Sunday.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany

(Baxtiyar Goran contributed to this report)