At least sixteen people, including a civilian, have been killed in drone strikes by Turkish forces in areas controlled by Kurdish forces in Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) said today.

“Turkey has greatly intensified its drone attacks since the beginning of the week,” killing 15 of the ranks of Kurdish forces and the Syrian regime yesterday alone, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. The Turkish Defense Ministry said the Turkish military had “neutralized 16 terrorists” in Syria, a designation Ankara uses for Kurdish fighters.

The bombings took place mainly in the areas of Tal Rifaat and Manbij (north), near the Turkish border and which Ankara regularly threatens with attacks. The Syrian army is deploying around these areas. Kurdish forces in Manbij announced that six fighters were killed. The Observatory confirmed this account and said a civilian working for the autonomous Kurdish administration in Manbij was also killed.

According to the OSDH, five Syrian soldiers were also killed by a Turkish drone strike in Tal Rifaat.

Further east, four fighters of the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) backed by Washington were killed in an attack targeting their vehicle in Hasakeh province, according to the Syrian Observatory. The SDF had spearheaded the war against Islamic State jihadists.

Turkey, whose troops are present in parts of northern Syria, regularly threatens to launch a major offensive against the SDF, whose members it considers “terrorists”.

Ankara says it wants to establish a 30km wide “security zone” on its southern border.