Turkey carried out 798 attacks on SDF territories in 2023
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Turkey carried out 798 attacks on areas under Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) control, including 103 drone attacks and airstrikes, the SDF said in a 2023 balance sheet.
It also said Turkish jets targeted 74 civilian facilities and oil-related infrastructure in 2023.
Moreover, Turkey and Turkish-backed forces carried out 578 attacks with heavy weapons (including artillery) and 25 light weapons and sniper attacks. In addition, they launched two IED and landmine attacks.
Furthermore, the SDF said that 173 of its fighters were killed in attacks by Turkish, ISIS, and Syrian government-backed groups, most likely a reference to tribal fighters backed by Damascus in Deir ez-Zor.
The balance sheet also indicated that 39 civilians were killed, including 11 children, by the attacks against the SDF.
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Contrarily, the SDF said they carried out 143 attacks on Turkish and Turkish-backed forces, killing 237 people, allegedly including 52 Turkish soldiers.
“We strongly urge international stakeholders, particularly the guarantor countries, to fulfill their obligations by intervening to halt Turkish crimes,” the SDF pleaded in a statement.
Late in December, 12 Turkish soldiers were killed by the PKK in a 48-hour period in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Yet Turkey does not distinguish between the PKK and SDF, considering the latter to be an offshoot of the PKK. Thus, it retaliated by launching a massive drone and airstrike campaign in northeastern Syria, which killed eight civilians and injured 18 others.
The attacks also severely crippled civilian infrastructure, allegedly including a hospital, in territories under the control of the SDF.
Editing by Dastan Muwaffaq