Turkish military escalation in five days | 50 airstrikes by fighter jets…26 attacks by drones…hundreds of rockets hit nearly 65 positions

On November 19 evening, Turkish forces started a large-scale military campaign on areas controlled by the Autonomous Administration in north and north-east Syria and areas where Kurdish forces are deployed in northern Aleppo, as a response to the terrorist attack in Istanbul, where Ankara has claimed that the Kurds in Syria are responsible for that attack.

 

On that day, Turkish fighter jets and drones conducted a large number of airstrikes, while artillery pieces in Turkish territory started heavy bombardment, targeting positions in SDF-controlled areas.

 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has monitored and tracked all developments of the latest Turkish escalation on positions in north and north-east Syria. In this report, SOHR displays full details of the aerial and ground attacks by Turkish forces, consequences of this military escalation on areas controlled by Turkish-backed factions and Turkish territory and death toll in these areas in the past five days.

 

 

Total death toll

 

SOHR activists have documented the death of 67 people, combatants and civilians, since the beginning of the Turkish military escalation on November 19 until late Thursday, November 24; they are as follows:

 

• Nine people were killed in attacks by Turkish drones.

 

• 45 people were killed in airstrikes by Turkish fighter jets.

 

• Five regime soldiers were killed in Turkish bombardment on the northern countryside of Aleppo.

 

• Five civilians, including a child, were killed in a massacre in Azaz city because of bombardment with rockets and artillery shells fired from areas where Kurdish and regime forces are deployed.

 

• Three Turkish civilians, including a child, were killed in a border area inside Turkey.

 

The number of fatalities is expected to rise further as those attacks left over 64 people injured, some seriously. In addition, there are unconfirmed reports of more casualties among military formations.

 

 

Drone attacks: 31 casualties in 26 attacks

 

Turkish drone have executed 26 attacks on SDF-controlled areas since the beginning of the latest military escalation: 24 attacks on different positions in Al-Hasakah, one on Ain Al-Arab countryside (Kobani) in Aleppo province and one on Al-Hasakah-Al-Raqqah-Deir Ezzor border triangle. The drone attacks targeted infrastructure, oil and gas institutions and military posts and vehicles, killing nine people and injuring 24 others: six civilians and 18 combatants.

 

Here are further details on the Turkish drone attacks in the past five days:

 

-November 21: Two attacks:

 

• An SDF fighter was killed and another was injured when a Turkish drone executed four airstrikes on positions on two glider airfields in Daiki village and near Belsan Park near Mariti village in the western countryside of Amuda, north of Al-Hasakah province.

 

• A Turkish drone attacked a military vehicle in an area which is located tens of metres away from the Russian base in Tel Tamr in north-western Al-Hasakah. The attack caused material damage only.

 

-November 22: Five attacks:

 

• A Turkish drone struck a military base where joint forces of the International Coalition and Counter-terrorism Units are stationed in Istrahet Wazeer area in the north of Al-Hasakah city. According to SOHR source, the attack left two members of the Counter-terrorism Units dead while three others sustained serious injuries.

 

• A Turkish drone struck two positions in north-eastern Al-Hasakah, precisely a post which is located to the south of Oudah oil filed and an affiliated post near Laylan village in the south-west of Al-Qahtaniyah. The attack caused considerable damage to the targeted sites, where plumes of smoke were seen.

 

• A Turkish drone targeted Uja village in Tel Tamr countryside in north-western Al-Hasakah, injuring two combatants.

 

• Turkish fighter jets struck a post overlooking Abyad road near the administrative border between Al-Hasakah and Al-Raqqah, a few kilo metres away from Deir Ezzor province. The strikes left a member of the SDF-backed commandos forces and injured another.

 

• A Turkish drone struck an SDF military post in Dobayb village in western Tel Tamr in the western countryside of Al-Hasakah, to the south of Al-Aliyah silos. The attack killed an SDF fighter and injured other.

 

-November 23: 18 attacks:

 

• Turkish drones attacked Al-Oudi oil field in Al-Qahtaniyah countryside, which resulted in the breakout of fires in the field.

 

• Turkish drones attacked Dejlah oil station in the countryside of Al-Jawadiyah, which caused material losses and injured six workers in the field, including an engineer.

 

• Turkish drones attacked the gas station in Al-Suwaidiyah village in Al-Malikiyah countryside (Derek), causing material damage.

 

• Turkish drones’ strikes hit Ali Agha oil station in Al-Ya’rubiyah countryside, causing material damage.

 

• Turkish drones attacked the office of the SDF relation department in the Russian base in Al-Mabaqir area, north of Tel Tamr, killing an SDF member and injuring three others, amid unconfirmed reports of the injury of the injury of a Russian soldier.

 

• Turkish drones attacked an area hosting warehouses in Arouar village in Al-Qahtaniyah countryside.

 

• Turkish drones attacked positions in Jeir Qahfiq in Al-Qamishli countryside, leaving no casualties.

 

• Turkish drones attacked positions in Al-Sandoukli village in Darbasiyah countryside.

 

• A Turkish drone attacked a checkpoint of the Internal Security Forces (Asayish) in Abu Rasin town in the north-western countryside of Al-Hasakah, killing an Asayish member and injuring two others.

 

• Turkish drones attacked an oil station in Ma’shuq village in Al-Qahtaniyah countryside.

 

• Turkish drones attacked Kil Hasnak station in Al-Qahtaniyah countryside.

 

• Turkish drones attacked a house in Kararshak village in Ain Al-Arab countryside (Kobani) in Aleppo province.

 

• A Turkish drone attacked positions in Sherek village in Al-Malikiyah countryside (Dayrik).

 

• Turkish drones attack an oil station in Ala Qos area in Al-Malikiyah countryside (Dayrik).

 

• Turkish drones targeted a power transmission station near Corona Hospital in Al-Qamishly.

 

• Turkish drones attacked a gas institution in Suwaidiyah in Al-Malikiyah countryside (Dayrik).

 

• Turkish drones attacked Jarnak neighbourhood in east Al-Qamishly countryside.

 

• A Turkish drone attacked a vehicle at Al-Qarmoty roundabout in Al-Qamishly city, killing the driver and injuring two others, including an SDF commander, “Rizan Kelo.”

 

-November 24: One attack: A Turkish drone attacked a position in Ali Agha village nearby Al-Jawadiyah town.

 

 

Fighter jets’ attacks: Nearly 80 casualties in 50 airstrikes

 

In the past five days, Turkish fighter jets executed over 50 airstrikes, targeting vehicles, posts and different positions in Aleppo, Al-Hasakah and Al-Raqqah. These airstrikes killed 45 people and injured 34 others. Here is a breakdown of fatalities due to the latest airstrikes by Turkish fighter jets:

 

-21 members of military formations operating in SDF-controlled areas:

 

• Ten were killed in Jabal Qarrah Jokh area in Al-Malikiyah countryside (Dayrek) in Al-Hasakah province; they are five members, including a woman, of the “Essential Protection Forces” and five SDF fighters and Asayish members.

 

• Eight members of SDF-backed protection units responsible for guarding Al-Hawl camp were killed in Turkish airstrikes: six were killed in airstrikes on their post and two were killed in airstrikes on another site.

 

• Two SDF fighters were killed in Zahr Al-Arab village in the western countryside of Al-Darbasiyah in Al-Hasakah province.

 

• An SDF fighter was killed in Abu Rasin countryside (Zarkan).

 

-Regime forces: 18 fatalities:

 

• 12 were killed in Shawarghah village in north-western Aleppo.

 

• Four were killed in strikes on a post of regime border guards in Um Harmal village in Abu Rasin countryside in north-western Al-Hasakah.

 

• Two were killed in strikes on a military post in Qaz’ali village in Tel Abyad countryside in northern Al-Raqqah.

 

-One correspondent working for a press agency was killed in Jabal Qarrah Jokh area in Al-Malikiyah countryside (Dayrek).

 

-Five Kurdish fighters were killed in Baylouniyah frontline in northern Aleppo.

 

Moreover, Turkish fighter jets attacked, on November 20, an under-construction hospital in Jabal Mashtanour area and positions in Al-Hursh Al-Hokomi, the surrounding areas of Alishar village in Ain Al-Arab countryside (Kobani), which resulted in the demolition of the hospital.

 

While on November 21, Turkish fighter jets executed airstrikes on Zur Magharah and Jabal Al-Shuyukh, to the west of Ain Al-Arab city (Kobani) in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, east of Euphrates river, where SDF and regime forces are stationed in several military posts.

 

Similarly, on November 23, Turkish fighter jets struck Kaniye Kurdan area where regime forces are stationed on the outskirts of Ain Al-Arab city (Kobani).

 

 

Many killed and injured in rocket and artillery fire

 

Beside the airstrikes by Turkish fighter jets and drones, tens of Syrian villages and towns near frontlines with areas controlled by Turkish forces and their proxy factions came under ground bombardment with hundreds of rockets and artillery shells fired by Turkish forces stationed in Turkish and Syrian territory. According to SOHR sources, the Turkish ground bombardment targeted positions in nearly 48 towns and villages controlled by the Autonomous Administration in north and north-east Syria, which left no casualties. In addition, 18 positions in areas where Kurdish and regime forces are deployed in northern Aleppo came under Turkish bombardment in the past five days, which left five regime soldiers dead and others injured.

 

The targeted positions can be distributed regionally as follows:

 

• Ain Al-Arab countryside (Kobani): Eight villages: Sheyoukh Foqani, Zur Maghar, Jayshan, Kharabisan, Qarrah Mough, Kuran, Ashma and Salim.

 

• Manbij countryside: Seven villages: Tukhar, Awn Al-Dadat, Jabal Al-Sayyad, Kurheyouk, Al-Kawikli and Qarrat Waran.

 

• Tel Tamr and Aby Rasin countryside: 19 villages: Dada Abdal, Rebay’at, Tel Amir, Kesra, Al-Assadiyah, Al-Boby, Um Ishbah, Al-Khadrawi. Tel Al-Ward, Kherbet Sha’ir, Al-Dardarah, Abboush, Qabbour Al-Qarajinah, Um Al-Kaif, Kuzaliyah, Sheikh Ali, Tel Al-Laban, Tawilah and Um Al-Khair.

 

• Amuda countryside: Six villages: Al-Bahirah, Tel Hamdoun, Tel Al-Kaif, Shurak, Tel Hamdouni and Izz Al-Din Juli farm.

 

• Al-Qahtaniyah countryside: Four villages: Mahrkan, Rukan, Otalijah and an oil site in eastern Al-Qahtaniya.

 

• Al-Qamishli city and countryside: Four areas: the surrounding areas of Jarkin prison, which hosts ISIS members in Al-Qamishli city, the farms of the agricultural scientific research centre in Himu village, Haram Shikhu and Haram Rash.

 

• The northern countryside of Aleppo: 18 areas: the surrounding areas of Tel Rifaat city, Um Al-Housh, Harbal, Mar’naz, Kafr Anton, Sughankah, Ibbin, Deir Jamal, Al-Ziyyarah, Shawarghah, Tel Ajjar, Ain Daqnah, Sheikh Issa, Tel Jayjan, Tel Madiq, Sadd Al-Shahbaa and Hasajik.

 

 

Eight fatalities in attacks with rockets and artillery shells fired from areas where Kurdish and regime forces deployed in Aleppo countryside

 

SOHR sources reported the death of eight civilians, including a Turkish child and another Syrian one, due to artillery and rocket fire on Azaz city and positions inside Turkey, which coincided with the Turkish military escalation.

 

On November 22, five civilians were killed in a massacre because of an attack with rockets fired from areas where Kurdish and regime forces deployed, where the rockets hit a crowded street in Azaz city centre.

 

A day earlier, November 21, three Turkish civilians were killed artillery fire on positions in Turkish territory.

 

 

On the other hand, SOHR sources have reported that the Turkish military escalation have negatively impacted the inhabitants of those areas, where market movement has been declined by 70 percent, while many residents in villages on the Syria-Turkey border escaped to safer areas, fearing Turkey’s heavy bombardment and expected large-scale military operation into Syria, especially with the latest threats by Ankara to capture more Syrian areas.

 

In this context, SOHR sources have reported the displacement of many residents from border villages in Ain Al-Arab area (Kobani) in Aleppo countryside and Ain Issa in Al-Raqqah countryside, as well as villages in Tel Tamr, Abu Rasin, Al-Darbasiyah and Amudah in Al-Hasakah countryside, fleeing the Turkish indiscriminate bombardment on tens of border villages in the past days.

 

Also, SOHR sources reported a noticeable decline in market movement in border cities and towns, while shopkeepers are concerned about losing their goods and properties.

 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) condemns the Turkish military escalation on Syria and calls for keeping civilians away from conflicts and spare and protect them from any military operations.

 

SOHR also stresses that the oil and gas resources and infrastructure, which are attacked by Turkish aircraft, do not belong to Syria Democratic Forces or any other party; they belong only to the people of Syria.

 

SOHR also condemns the massacre committed in Azaz city in northern Aleppo, which claimed the lives of five innocent civilians, including a child, and condemns the killing of Turkish civilians in attacks which targeted positions inside Turkey.