ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Two members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and a civilian were killed in a suspected Turkish drone strike that targeted their vehicle in northeast Syria (Rojava) on Wednesday.
The SDF in a statement said a “Turkish drone” hit the car in Qamishli at around 5:00 pm on Wednesday, killing two members of the force and one civilian. It vowed to avenge their deaths.
Turkish attacks have seen an increase in Rojava as Ankara insists on launching a military operation in northern Syria to create a 30 kilometer “safe zone” along its southern border. The offense is likely aimed at pushing back Kurdish fighters from the area.
Drones targeted Qamishli on two separate occasions on Tuesday. One of the offenses resulted in the killing of four SDF fighters.
The spike in offenses also follows a Friday meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Erdogan told reporters that Putin called for cooperation between Turkey and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime “in the fight against terrorism,” referring to the Kurdish armed forces.
Turkey has launched two offensives against Kurdish fighters in Syria since 2018. It alleges that the fighters are allied with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an armed group fighting for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey and is viewed as a terrorist organization by Ankara.
