A Bayraktar Akıncı combat drone. Source: the Turkish Ministry of National Defense.
Late on November 6, a vehicle exploded in the northeastern Syrian town of al-Qamishli, which is jointly controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian military.
The explosion took place in the SDF-held part of al-Qamishli. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the vehicle, a black SUV, was targeted by a Turkish combat drone. This is yet to be confirmed by the SDF, however. According to the London-based monitoring group, the blast left three people wounded.
Al-Qamishli is located in the northern countryside of al-Hasakah, right on the border line with Turkey. The Russian military maintains a base at the town’s airport. The United States-led coalition, the main backer of the SDF, is also present in the outskirts of the town.
Turkish combat drones struck al-Qamishli on several occasions in the last few months. In most cases, the target was commanders of the SDF, or local officials of the group’s executive wing, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
The suspected drone strike came just a few hours after the Anadolu Agency reported the neutralization of a senior SDF commander in northeastern Syria by the Turkish intelligence. The commander was targeted near the town of Ain Issa in the northern Raqqa countryside, more than 200 kilometers to the southwest of al-Qamishli.
The Turkish military and intelligence have been trying to deter the SDF for the last few months. On November 2, at least three drone strikes hit the group’s positions in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo.
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