A response to the Istanbul attack?
The Turkish army carried out aerial bombardments in several Kurdish-controlled areas in northern Syria on Saturday evening.
According to the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces), Turkey has targeted the provinces of Aleppo (north) and Hassaké (north-east), in particular against the city of Kobané, near the Turkish border.
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Explosion in Istanbul, Turkey: at least six dead and 58 injured
More than twenty strikes were carried out by the Turkish army in the two provinces, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), an NGO based in London and which has an extensive network of sources in Syria.
The shelling killed at least six members of the FDS and six pro-regime soldiers, according to the OSDH.
Operation "Sword Claw"
The Kurdish forces have not announced any losses in their ranks.
But Farhad Shami confirmed that the Turkish bombardments targeted sites belonging to the Syrian government forces in the provinces of Raqqa and Hassaké (north-east) and Aleppo (north), causing deaths and injuries.
The attacks will not be to our regions which are now limited being subjected to aggressive and barbaric bombing.
We call on our families to stay in their homes and abide by the directives of the Security Forces.
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— Mazloum Abdî مظلوم عبدي (@MazloumAbdi) November 19, 2022
SDF Commander-in-Chief Mazloum Abdi also criticized "aggressive and barbaric" shelling.
“The Turkish bombardment of our areas threatens the entire region.
This bombardment serves no party.
We are doing everything to avoid a major catastrophe.
If war breaks out, everyone will be affected,” he tweeted.
This Sunday morning, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday that it had launched the "Sword Claw" air operation in northern Iraq and Syria, accusing its regions of being "used as bases by terrorists".
"The planes took off from their bases, the air operation has begun," the statement said.
This operation was carried out "in accordance with the rights of self-defence deriving from Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, in order to eliminate terrorist attacks from northern Iraq and Syria, to ensure the security of the borders and eliminate terrorism at its source,” the Turkish Defense Ministry said.
"The hour of reckoning has come"
On the night of Saturday to this Sunday, the Turkish Ministry of Defense had already affirmed on Twitter that “the hour of reckoning (had) sounded”, showing the photo of a plane taking off for a night operation without precision of place.
“The bastards will be held accountable for their treacherous attacks,” the ministry continued on its official account.
“Terrorist hotbeds razed by precision fire,” the Turkish ministry noted in another tweet accompanied by a video showing a designated target from the sky before an explosion.
Hesap zamanı!
Alçaklardan hain saldırıların hesabı soruluyor!
🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/pnEbFDkOF7
— TC Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) November 19, 2022
Turkish authorities accuse a young woman of Syrian nationality of having planted the bomb, which exploded on November 13 in the main shopping street of Istiklal, in the center of Istanbul, killing six people and injuring 81.
Turkey immediately designated the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the YPG (People's Protection Units), a Kurdish militia active in Syria, accused by Ankara of being affiliated with the PKK.
Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said that "the order for the attack (had) been given from Kobané", a city controlled by Kurdish forces.
The PKK and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported by Washington, have rejected Ankara's accusations of their responsibility and denied any link with the Istanbul attack.
The US State Department said on Friday it feared "possible military action by Turkey", advising its nationals not to travel to northern Syria and Iraq.
At war since 2011, Syria is fragmented due to the intervention of multiple groups and foreign powers in the conflict.
Between 2016 and 2019, the Turkish army launched three major operations in northern Syria targeting Kurdish militias and organizations.
Turkey, whose soldiers are present in areas of northern Syria, has been threatening since May to launch a major offensive against the SDF, which it considers "terrorists".