ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A child was killed in shelling by Turkish-backed militias in the Ain Issa area on Friday, according to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
“Civilian settlements in vicinity of Ain Issa are again in target of Turkey’s proxies at the moment. Shelling has killed a kid and wounded several civilians,” tweeted Mustafa Bali, press officer for the SDF.
He shared photographs of at least one child and one man receiving medical treatment in hospital.
The child who was killed has been identified as 12-year-old Mihemed Himedi al-Khalil, according to the Rojava Information Center.
Four other people were injured, some critically, in shelling of Hadrayat village, south of Ain Issa, according to ANHA news.
Ain Issa is located on the M4 highway, the main route that crosses northern Syria. In October 2019, Turkish forces and their Syrian proxies launched a military offensive against Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria. The operation was ended the same month after ceasefires were brokered by Washington and Moscow. The truces saw Turkey take control of a stretch of territory along the border and the SDF redeploy south of the M4 with Russian and Syrian regime troops acting as a buffer.
Late last year, however, there were frequent clashes between Turkish-backed Syrian militias and Kurdish forces, with casualties on both sides and among the civilian population in the Ain Issa area. At the end of December, Russia deployed additional troops to keep the peace.
A conflict monitor reported days of violent clashes around Ain Issa this week. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Turkish-backed militias attempted to infiltrate into SDF-held territory. It reported casualties on both sides.
Updated at 11:08 pm
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