Turkish airstrikes carried out this week in northern Syria put American troops and staff at risk, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson said.
Tuesday saw a string of fatal airstrikes by Turkey in northern Syria and Iraq as reprisal for the bombing of Istanbul the previous week. The Syrian People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) facilities were both attacked by Turkish aeroplanes, according to a statement from Turkey’s Defense Ministry.
The airstrikes followed a bombing in Istanbul on November 13 that left six people dead and more than 80 others injured. The PKK and its Syrian offshoot, also known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, were accused of carrying out the attack by Ankara, although the Kurdish organisations have denied any involvement.
According to Sinam Mohamad, the Syrian Democratic Council Representative to the United States, one of the bases jointly operated by the Syrian Democratic Forces and the coalition to battle the Islamic State, which includes American troops, was one of the Turkish targets this week. Two SDF fighters who were assisting coalition forces in their fight against ISIS were killed in the strike, she claimed on Twitter.
According to Col. Joe Buccino, a spokesman for Central Command, the bombings put American soldiers and personnel at risk.
Buccino added, “We reject any military action that destabilises the situation in Syria. “These activities pose a threat to our shared objectives, particularly the ongoing battle against ISIS to make sure the organisation can never resurge and pose a threat to the area.
Buccino opted not to reveal where the base located.
American officials are preparing for a Syrian escalation. Turkey will soon launch a ground offensive using tanks and soldiers against the Kurdish militia, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan, who made the announcement on Tuesday.
With our planes, cannons, and weapons, we have been advancing on terrorists for a few days, Erdoan stated. “God willing, together with our tanks and soldiers, we will root them out as quickly as possible.”
American officials have been warning Turkey not to invade northern Syria since the summer, claiming that such a move would be disastrous for the campaign against ISIS. To deliver that message, senior Defense Department representatives travelled to Turkey this year.
In our interactions and on both sides, we continue to call for de-escalation, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said on Tuesday.
According to a readout by Milley’s spokeswoman, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, spoke by phone with his Turkish counterpart, Gen. Yaşar Güler, on Wednesday.
According to the Rojava Information Center, a news outlet run by pro-Syrian Kurd activists, Turkey began a massive aerial attack across north and east Syria around midnight on Saturday employing 70 fighter jets and drones. Additionally, the strikes in Iraq targeted areas around Duhok, Sulaymaniyah, and Shengal.
The study states that a total of 11 individuals were killed and nine more were injured in the strikes.
A Turkish ground offensive is possible, which is reminiscent of Operation Peace Spring in October 2019, when Ankara invaded northeastern Syria after then-President Donald Trump ordered American soldiers to leave the area. More than 300,000 people were displaced, and more than 70 civilians were killed in Syria and 20 in Turkey.
The borders between the parts of northern Syria controlled by the Kurds, Turkey, and Russia were redrawn as part of a peace agreement agreed that month.
