Illustrative image.
On August 5 afternoon, two civilians were killed when Kurdish fighters targeted their lift truck near the Turkish-occupied Syrian town of Hazwan in the northern Aleppo countryside with an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM).
The two victims were identified by Syrian opposition sources as Mahmoud al-Badi and Hassan al-Badi. It remains unclear why the lift truck was targeted.
ميليشيا #قسد تستهدف آلية بصاروخ موجه في قرية حزوان وأنباء عن وجود إصابات. pic.twitter.com/XlxKtyzm8i
— OGN عربى (@OGNArabic) August 5, 2021
Kurdish fighters also destroyed an ambulance of the Western-backed White Helmets civil defense organization that was dispatched to attack scene. The ambulance was also targeted with an ATGM. A member of the White Helmets was killed.
ارتقاء مدنيين اثنين، وإصابة اثنين آخرين أحدهما متطوع في الدفاع المدني السوري، في قرية حزوان قرب #الباب شرقي حلب، باستهدافٍ مباشر بصواريخ موجهة حرارياً مصدرها مناطق سيطرة مليشا قسد ومليشات الأسد ، إذ استهدف الصاروخ الأول سيارة رافعة تستخدم في صيانة الشبكة الكهربائية، وعند pic.twitter.com/YLUWNVEqRU
— تلفزيون إدلب Idlib TV (@TvIdlib) August 5, 2021
The ATGM strikes were likely a response by Kurdish forces to a series of Turkish artillery strikes that targeted the northern Raqqa countryside a day earlier. A civilian man and three of his children were killed as a result of the strikes, which targeted areas held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The recent developments in northern Raqqa and northern Aleppo highlight the growing tensions between Turkish forces and the SDF.
While the chances of a major military confrontation between Turkish forces and the SDF remain slim, the two sides will likely continue to exchange attacks on civilians.
