Click to see full-size image. Source: the Hawar News Agency.
On December 4, Turkish forces renewed their artillery strikes on positions of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northern countryside of Raqqa in Syria’s northeastern region.
According to the Hawar News Agency, the Turkish shelling targeted the town of Ain Issa, its refugee camp, the nearby village of Saida and several positions located along the strategic M4 highway.
Ain Issa’s main hospital and a civilian truck parked nearby were damaged as a result of the shelling. However, no causalities were reported.
Click to see full-size image. Source: the Hawar News Agency.
In response to the shelling, the SDF targeted two Turkish positions, one located to the north of Ain Issa and another located to the north of Saida.
A day earlier, Turkish forces carried out similar artillery strikes on SDF positions in the northern Raqqa countryside. Turkish-backed militants also attacked positions of the group in the outskirts of Saida.
Turkish forces are clearly trying to start an escalation in the northern Raqqa countryside, likely to justify an operation against the SDF. For the last few months, the Turkish military and its proxies have been preparing to launch a large-scale operation against the group in northern and northeastern Syria, according to a number of reports.
