Artillery fire hit points inside the city and on its outskirts, starting at night and intensifying during the day, according to residents and the city’s semi-autonomous local administration.
Turkish troops and US-backed Kurdish fighters exchanged heavy fire today in border city of Kobani in northern Syrias, resulting in the death of a child, as the conflict between the warring parties escalates.
Artillery fire hit points inside the city and on its outskirts, starting at night and intensifying during the day, according to residents and the city’s semi-autonomous local administration.
The administration said in a statement posted online that at least one child was killed in the shelling and others were injured.
Ankara considers the semi-autonomous system – led by Kurdish factions that exercises control over parts of northern and eastern Syria – a threat to its national security at the border.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he will launch a new offensive to establish a 30km buffer zone in northern Syria, “swallowing” Kobani and other towns under the control of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Kobani has enjoyed relative calm since US-backed Kurdish fighters pushed Islamic State militants out of the city in 2015.
But bombings and drone attacks are intensifying in many border towns. At least three Kurdish commanders were killed last month, with the SDF blaming Ankara.
Dillwin, a shop owner and mother of one, said scenes of chaos unfolded in Kobani when shelling intensified today.
“People started running in all directions, cars everywhere, people asking about their friends and family. Then the banging started to increase, the banging was everywhere,” he told Reuters by phone from Kobani.
“So much screaming. So much fear. Now everyone is locked in their homes,” said Dillwyn, who preferred to give only her first name for security reasons.
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