SDF exercises right to self-defense as Turkish attacks continue

The Turkish state continues its attacks on the Autonomous Administration areas with drone bombings in the Heseke region. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that a drone targeted an area in the eastern countryside of Heseke this afternoon, as Turkish air strikes on northern and northeastern Syria continued.

The SOHR has confirmed that the number of strikes by Turkish drones on areas controlled by the Autonomous Administration in northern and northeastern Syria has risen to 90 since the beginning of the year. The strikes have killed 76 people and injured more than 57 others, including 16 civilians, 57 military personnel and three regime soldiers, the SOHR said. Turkey’s drone strikes in 2023 killed 13 civilians and 33 military personnel, including three women and a child, and wounded 33 others in 59 strikes in Heseke. In Aleppo, 28 strikes killed 24 fighters, including three from the units protecting the Kurdish people, three regime soldiers and three civilians.

SDF responds to Turkish attacks with operations

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced the launch of legitimate operations in response to the Turkish state’s fierce attacks. The SDF said in its statement that “it had eliminated 4 Turkish occupying soldiers and 3 mercenaries”.

The SDF released the following statement: “As part of our legitimate right to respond, our SDF forces conducted an operation yesterday targeting two bases of the Turkish occupation forces in the occupied villages of Knehir and Arba’in in the northern countryside of Tal Tamir. The operation resulted in the elimination of 4 soldiers and 3 mercenaries of the Turkish occupation forces, and several others were wounded. With this operation, the death toll of the Turkish occupation forces has now reached 22 soldiers killed and dozens wounded following a series of our response operations over the past days.”

The SDF announced that it will continue to respond to the attacks of the Turkish army and its mercenaries within the framework of its legitimate right to defend and protect its territory and people, guaranteed by all international laws and legislation.