At least eight people were killed in Turkish drone strikes on Thursday in the Kurdish-held zone of northeast Syria, according to a war monitor and a local security source. The strikes come after Ankara’s threats against Kurdish military facilities in Syria and Iraq. Two individuals were killed in a strike on a car near a military facility, while another six were killed in a later strike on a military post near the town of Amuda.
Turkey declared on Wednesday that all Kurdish militant facilities in Syria and Iraq are valid targets, attributing this decision to the conclusion that two attackers responsible for a bomb explosion in Ankara had come from Syria. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a U.S.-backed force dominated by the Kurdish YPG, denied any involvement in the Ankara attack.
Mazloum Abdi, the head of the SDF, accused Turkey of seeking “pretexts” to continue attacking areas held by the SDF. Following the strikes, relief organizations reportedly suspended their work in affected areas. Turkey has previously conducted air strikes in northern Iraq against the PKK militia, designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union, and the United States. Additionally, Turkey has carried out cross-border incursions into Syria targeting the YPG, which it considers a terrorist group affiliated with the PKK.
