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On September 15, a Turkish drone strike hit a vehicle of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) near al-Hatabat checkpoint to the south of the town of Manbij in the northern countryside of Aleppo.
The Manbij Military Council, the local branch of the SDF, said that two of its female fighters were killed in the strike. A third female fighter was wounded along with a male comrade.
Turkey escalated its artillery and drone strikes on SDF territory in northern and eastern Syria in recent weeks. Ankara’s proxies also took advantage of a conflict between the group and Arab tribes in Deir Ezzor and launched a series of attacks near Manbij and in other areas.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 48 Turkish drone strikes hit the SDF since the start of the year. The strikes killed 42 personnel of the SDF, three Syrian soldiers and 13 civilians. At least 52 others were wounded.
The SDF has largely refrained from responding to Turkish artillery drone strikes this year, likely to avoid any further escalation by Turkey. However, the group did target a base of the Turkish military in the northern al-Hasakah countryside with an anti-tank guided missile earlier this month in response to shelling that targeted several villages in the areas.
The recent escalation by Tukey appears to be an attempt to deter the SDF without launching a new ground operation in northeastern Syria that could provoke the main backer of the group, the United States, and anger Russia.
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