Turkish forces have renewed their artillery and missile strikes on border villages and towns in northeastern Syria, which are under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Local sources and eyewitnesses told "Sky News Arabia" that the shelling targeted various areas in Tal Tamr in Al-Hasakah province. A Turkish drone also bombed the vicinity of Tal Rifaat in northern Aleppo countryside, near the Syrian-Turkish border, without causing any casualties.
The region of Tal Rifaat, located west of the Euphrates River and controlled by the SDF since early 2016, is a target for Turkish forces and has been subject to ongoing bombardment from Turkey and Ankara-backed factions for several days. SDF commander Mazloum Abdi tweeted that any aggression in northern Syria will create a humanitarian crisis and negatively affect operations against the "ISIS" organization.
This tweet comes a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that Ankara plans to "cleanse Tal Rifaat and Manbij in Syria of terrorists," as he put it. The United States has rejected any Turkish expansion in northern Syria in areas populated by Kurds supported by Washington. A U.S. Department of Defense official told "Sky News Arabia" that such actions would expose Ankara to sanctions.
The U.S. official stated that the Biden administration has formally informed the Turkish government that any military expansion of the Turkish army in northern Syria, particularly toward Tal Rifaat, Manbij, and Ain Issa, would have serious consequences for bilateral relations and the interests of innocent Kurdish civilians. He added that the White House does not rule out Congress imposing more sanctions on Turkey should it proceed with such actions, which, in his words, "threaten America's allies within Syria, namely the Kurdish People's Protection Units and the Syrian Democratic Forces."
The anonymous source confirmed that Washington will continue its military, logistical, and economic support for the SDF "in recognition of the role it has played for several years in the war against ISIS and in overseeing the prisons of detainees from the terrorist organization."
