QAMISHLI, Syria: In a tragic incident on Monday, a Turkish airstrike resulted in the loss of 11 Kurdish security personnel and left dozens injured at a police training center situated in the Kurdish-held region of northeast Syria, according to a war monitoring organization.
The strike targeted a training facility of the internal security forces known as the Asayish, located on the outskirts of Al-Malikiyeh in Hasakah province. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights provided details about the attack, stating that the strike caused significant casualties among the Kurdish security forces.
The Kurdish force confirmed the airstrike through an official statement, revealing the devastating toll it had taken on their ranks: “A number of our forces were killed and others wounded.”
As news of the tragedy spread, authorities in the affected area urgently appealed for blood donations to help treat the wounded and save lives.
Amidst the enduring chaos of Syria’s protracted civil conflict, the Kurds have managed to establish a semi-autonomous region in the northeastern part of the country. However, this autonomy has not shielded them from conflict, as Turkey has been conducting airstrikes in the area since Thursday, targeting both civilian and military installations, resulting in casualties, as reported by Kurdish authorities.
Turkish defense ministry, justifying their recent aerial assault, mentioned that the strikes were in response to an attack in Ankara earlier in the month, which injured two security personnel. A branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), designated as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies, claimed responsibility for the initial bombing in Ankara—the first such attack since 2016.
Following the October 1 attack, Turkey swiftly launched strikes on PKK positions in northern Iraq. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan later confirmed that the assailants had originated from Syria and had received training there.
Asayish: 11 people were killed in Turkish drone strikes, including 5 civilians and 6 members of the Internal Security Forces (Asayish) and 10 people were injured. https://t.co/EcsqYWlSQA
— Wladimir van Wilgenburg (@vvanwilgenburg) October 5, 2023
In recent years, the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) played a vital role in dismantling the Daesh group’s last remnants of territory in Syria during 2019. However, Turkey views the dominant faction within the SDF, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), as an offshoot of the PKK, fueling the ongoing conflict in the region.
