Eleven civilians killed in Turkish drone attack on Kurdish-controlled town in northern Syria

Ankara-backed rebels continue their advances in Manbij and expel the SDF from almost the entire city

Dec. 9 (EUROPA PRESS) –

At least eleven civilians, including six children, died this Monday due to a bombing carried out by a Turkish drone against a town in the Syrian province of Raqqa (north) under the control of Kurdish forces, in the midst of fighting between the Kurdish forces. Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and armed rebel groups supported by Ankara.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London, has indicated that all the deceased are members of the same family and has detailed that “a Turkish drone attacked a house in the town of Al Mustariha”, in the north of Raqqa, without the Kurdish authorities having commented for now on the bombing.

He also stated that the forces of the Manbij Military Council, part of the SDF, have withdrawn from practically all of Manbij, the target of an offensive launched by the rebels just hours after the fall of the capital, Damascus, on Sunday. , and the flight from the country of the until now president, Bashar al Assad.

The rebels, supported by Turkey, began the offensive with the intention of now undertaking the expulsion of the Kurdish forces from the areas under their control after the dazzling success of the offensive launched on November 27 by Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) and others. jihadist and rebel formations against government troops.

In this sense, the Observatory has stressed that the Kurdish troops have been withdrawn to rear positions in Manbij in the face of the advances of the rebels, who would have taken practically the entire city after intense fighting, which would have resulted in the death of 15 rebels and 35 members of the Kurdish forces.

SDF spokesman Farhad Shami said late Sunday that Kurdish forces were dealing “qualitative blows” to “the mercenaries of the Turkish occupation” who had managed to penetrate neighborhoods of Manbij, where “intense fighting” was taking place. “.

The Manbij Military Council itself denounced an “intensification” of rebel attacks during the last four days and noted that the Kurdish forces had moved to “the second phase of the defensive strategy”, in which “various tactics and methods will be used to disorient the enemy and make them regret having initiated these attacks” against Kurdish territory.

“We are determined to hold the occupation forces and their mercenaries accountable for their actions against the city of Manbij,” he said. “These savage mercenaries and thieves, unable to directly confront our forces, resort to attacking civilians, including children and women,” he denounced.

“We will ensure that they are held accountable for their atrocious crimes. We promise to protect our beautiful city and its surroundings from these brutal mercenaries and the Turkish occupation,” he stressed, without for now there being official confirmation on his part about a withdrawal in Manbij.

The rebel attack took place after the leader of the SDF, Mazlum Abdi, opened the door on Friday to a process of talks with Turkey and HTS in the face of the “new reality” in Syria, consolidated on Sunday with the fall of Damascus. , although neither Ankara nor its allied groups in Syria have responded positively to the proposal.

Turkey, which supports several armed rebel groups operating in Syria, has in the past launched several military operations in Syrian territory against the People’s Protection Units (YPG) – main elements of the SDF – and has criticized the support of the United States. United with the FDS, spearhead of the offensives against the Islamic State until the territorial defeat of its ‘caliphate’ in Syria in 2019.