Click to see full-size image. Source: the Hawar News Agency.
On August 6, a blast ripped through a truck in the northeastern Syrian town of al-Qamishli, which is jointly held by Syrian government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The blast took place in the al-Sina’a neighborhood, which is controlled by the SDF. One person was killed and at least three others were wounded.
According to the Hawar News Agency and several other sources, the blast was likely the result of a strike by a Turkish combat drone that was flying over al-Qamishli at the time of the accident. This is yet to be confirmed.
The suspected Turkish drone strike may have been a response to an indirect fire attack that hit a base of the Turkish military near the town of Inab in northern Syria earlier. The attack wounded four Turkish soldiers and three Syrian militants.
Turkish combat drones have been very active over SDF-held areas in northern and northeastern Syria for a few weeks now. Several fighters and commanders of the Kurdish-led group were recently killed in drone strikes.
The Turkish military and its proxies have been preparing to launch an operation against the SDF for well over a month now. Faced with objection from Russia, Iran and the Syrian government, Turkey may have delayed its operation and decided to escalate its drone operations against the SDF for the time being.
