Turkish Drone Strike Kills Three Civilians In Northern Syria

On December 17, three civilians were killed when a Turkish combat drone targeted a vehicle in the northern region of Syria.

The vehicle was reportedly moving on a road near the Kurdish-held village of Raqqas, which is located to the west of the Turkish-occupied town of Tell Abyad in the northern Raqqa countryside, when it was hit.

In a statement, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) called the Turkish drone strike a “crime against humanity.” The Kurdish-led group, which is backed by the United States, said that a 12-year-old boy was among the victims.

Turkey launched on November 20 an air operation against Kurdish forces in Syria and Iraq, codenamed Claw-Sword, in response to the November 13 Istanbul bombing, which killed six and wounded more than 80 others. Ankara claims that the terrorist attack was orchestrated by the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the People’s Protection Units, the core faction of the SDF.

Early on in the operation, senior Turkish officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, threatened the SDF with a ground offensive. However, pressure from the United States, the main backer of the SDF, and Russia have so far forced Ankara to limit Operation Claw-Sword to air and artillery strikes.

The drone strike on Raqqas was the fourth aerial attack by Turkey in December. The SDF claims that 16 civilians have been killed since the start of the month.

The SDF has been showing restraint in the face of Turkey’s repeated strikes, likely to avoid giving Ankara any excuse to further escalate its operations. Meanwhile, the group continues to work with both the U.S. and Russia to secure its position.

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