The military offensive of the Turkish army against Kurdish targets in Syria and Iraq, which has been underway since Sunday, has already claimed dozens of lives. According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, 184 “terrorists were neutralized”. This information cannot currently be independently verified. A military base in northern Syria used by the Kurdish fighters, which is also used by the United States, has come under fire, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Two Kurdish fighters were killed and three injured, it said.
The Observatory is a UK-based organization that draws on an extensive network of whistleblowers from Syria. Offensives against the Islamic State (IS) have been launched from the base near the city of Al-Hasakah in recent years. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar called on the US to stop supporting the Kurdish militia YPG. “We warn all our partners, especially the US, that the YPG is the Syrian counterpart to the PKK, and we specifically demand that they cease all support for the terrorists,” Akar said on Tuesday. The attack and the killing of two soldiers was also confirmed by a Kurdish commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces.
While the Syrian leadership declined to comment, the Iraqi leadership condemned the attacks on Kurdish areas in the country. The operations also claimed the lives of civilians, according to a joint statement by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and the president of the Kurdish Autonomous Regions of Northern Iraq, Nechirvan Barzani, on Tuesday. The attacks also violated Iraqi sovereignty.
In addition to Turkey, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had also attacked Kurdish targets in northern Iraq with missiles and drones. Tehran accuses Kurdish groups of supporting nationwide anti-government protests.
US and Russia call for de-escalation
Washington has not yet responded to the attack on the US base. However, President Joe Biden’s administration had already called on the Turkish military on Monday to “de-escalate to protect civilian lives and achieve the common goal of defeating ISIS”.
Russia, which supports the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in its fight against Islamists and rebels, also reacted to the renewed Turkish offensive with words of warning. “We understand and respect Turkey’s concerns about its own security,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday. Nevertheless, Moscow “calls on all parties to refrain from any steps that could lead to a serious destabilization of the situation”. The Russian envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, had previously made a similar statement. Ankara should “exercise restraint to prevent tensions from escalating not only in northern and northeastern Syria, but across the country,” he said on Monday.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
