Illustrative image.
On April 14, two militants of the Turkish-backed al-Shamiya Front were killed when an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) struck their vehicle as it was moving near the town of Marimeen in the Turkish-occupied region of Afrin in the northern countryside of Syria’s Aleppo.
Syrian opposition sources said that the ATGM was launched by Kurdish forces positioned in the southern part of Afrin, where the Syrian Arab Army is also present.
استهداف سيارة مدنية بصاروخ موجه من قبل ميليشيات #قسد قرب قرية #مريمين في منطقة #عفرين شمالي #حلب ويوجد شهيدين وعدد من الجرحى pic.twitter.com/v2lwZk8rbp
— المحرر لحظة بلحظة (@Almohrar1) April 14, 2022
The deadly missile attack was likely a response to recent Turkish drone strikes on Kurdish-held areas in northern and northeastern Syria.
At least three Turkish drone strikes hit areas held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the past two weeks. The most recent strike, which took place on April 9, hit a position of the SDF border guards in the northern countryside of al-Hasakah. The strike claimed the life of an SDF member and wounded two others.
The deadly missile attack will likely lead to more tensions between Turkish forces and the SDF. The Turkish military and its proxies may respond by intensifying their shelling on areas held by the group.
Recently, commanders from the SDF warned that the Turkish military and proxies may be preparing for a new military operation in northern or northeastern Syria. Last year, a number of media reports talked about similar preparations by Turkey.
It remains unclear if Ankara would risk launching a new military operation in Syria knowing that this could lead to a confrontation with Russia and even the US.
Two less MERDolfgan CHIHUAHUAS! Good news! How does he says? “may they rest in pieces”!