A week after the attack in Istanbul, Turkey announced “operations” in northern Syria and northern Iraq. Action is being taken against the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK and the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG, according to a statement by the Defense Ministry. Both hold Ankara responsible for the attack that killed six.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Turkey attacked Kurdish positions in northern Syria from the air on Sunday night. A spokesman for the organization said there were injuries and deaths. The Turkish news channel CNN Türk also reported attacks on places like Kobane, which have so far been firmly in the hands of Kurdish rebels. On the Twitter page of the Turkish Ministry of Defense it said in the evening: “Accounting time!” They will avenge the “attacks” without giving more details.
Attack in Istanbul with 6 dead
Last Sunday, a bomb attack killed 6 people and injured 31 others. The Turkish government blames the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG for this, which is why some experts had already speculated that they could use this as an opportunity for a new offensive in northern Syria. The YPG – as part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – is present in the areas that have now been attacked, according to the report. The Ministry of Defense’s statement referred to the right to self-defense under the United Nations Charter.
Turkish attacks on SDF positions were reported on Syrian state television, and Syria’s state news agency Sana spoke of “Turkish aggression”. SDF commander Maslum Abdi reported bombings on Twitter.
Turkey has already initiated four military offensives in northern Syria since 2016, some of which were aimed at the YPG. Ankara sees the YPG as an offshoot of the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK and fights both as a terrorist organization. In northern Syria, Turkey already occupies border regions and is cooperating with rebel groups. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, on the other hand, is backed by Russia.
