89 targets hit – At least 31 dead and 40 injured according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
By Athena Papakosta
Large-scale air strikes launched by Turkey in Syria and northern Iraq on Sunday as Ankara said it was time for retaliation against Kurdish fighters it blames for last week’s deadly bombing in Istanbul. “The time of reckoning has come. Bastards will be held accountable for sneaky attacks” the Turkish Ministry of Defense posted on Twitter in the early hours of Sunday.
Invoking pretext the right of self-defense Turkey announces strikes against targets in areas in the Qandil Mountains, Assos and Hakurk in northern Iraq as well as in the Kobani, Tel Rifat, Cizre and Derek provinces of northern Syria. For their part, the Kurds report strikes in Raqqa, Hasakah and Aleppo.
According to the Turkish Ministry of Defense, a total of 89 targets were hit. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 31 are killed, mostly Kurdish fighters and Syrian soldiers, while 40 are wounded. For their part, the Syrian Democratic Forces speak of 11 civilian deaths and warn that these strikes will not go unanswered but that they will answer at the right time in the right place.
The anchor blames for the bloody attack on the pedestrian street of Istiklal with the six dead and at least 80 wounded the PKK Workers’ Party and the People’s Protection Units, YPG, despite the fact that they deny any responsibility.
The new bloodline intensifies the hatred of the two sides, each with ties to the United States. As for the Syrian Democratic Forces, they have cooperated with the US in the battle against the Islamic State, causing irritation in Ankara, Washington’s NATO ally. As early as last May, it is threatening to launch a new large-scale attack against the Syrian Democratic Forces, which it characterizes as a “terrorist organization” whose main component is the People’s Protection Units, which according to Ankara is the PKK’s arm in Syria. The PKK is classified as a terrorist organization not only by Turkey but also by the US and the EU.
Turkey named the operation “Forked Sword” and emphasized that it is being conducted “on the basis of the legitimate rights of self-defense, as provided for in Article 51 of the UN Charter, in order to neutralize terrorist attacks from northern Iraq and Syria, to ensure border security and to eliminate terrorism at its source “.
Ankara has conducted three large-scale military operations along the Syrian border from 2016 to 2019 and controls parts of the north of the country.
The order for the new operation was given by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself as he returned from the G20 Summit in Indonesia.
Late on Sunday afternoon he himself went to Qatar for the opening ceremony of the World Cup. There he shook hands for the first time with the Egyptian counterpart of Abdel Fattah El Sisi. Mediator for the warm handshake between the two was, according to information, the Emir of Qatar. Turkey-Egypt relations have deteriorated in recent years. However, the Turkish president himself had announced a few days ago that steps could be taken to normalize them after the June elections.
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
