Heavy attack by Turkish artillery on northern Syria; Are large-scale operations on the way?
Local sources in northern Syria reported heavy artillery fire by Turkish troops on Kurdish militant positions in northern Aleppo province.
Turkish artillery shelled Kurdish militant positions in northern Aleppo province today (Friday).
According to the Al-Mayadin network website, Turkish army artillery based in the town of Azaz targeted Kurdish militant positions in the villages of Ain Daqneh and Biluniyeh on the outskirts of the Tal Rifat area in northern Aleppo province.
In contrast, Kurdish militias known as the “Afrin Liberation Forces” targeted Turkish military positions in Azzaz with light bullets. At the same time, the terrorists of Al-Jaish al-Watani (formerly the Free Syrian Army), which is under Turkish rule, clashed with Kurdish militants in the village of Ain Daqqa, but were unable to take control of Kurdish positions.
The Turkish military’s artillery attacks continue as of this writing, and it appears that Turkey’s steps to launch a large-scale military operation have accelerated and a countdown has begun. Most likely, the axes of these military operations will be the areas of “Tal Rifat” and “Manbej” in the north of Aleppo and the area of ”Tel Abyad” in the north of Raqqa province.
The Turkiye Gazetesi newspaper recently reported that the Turkish army had prepared more than 35,000 troops to take part in a possible military operation in northern Syria.
Also yesterday, sources close to the Syrian opposition told Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency that pro-Turkish military groups were on standby in northern Syria at the behest of the country and were ready for military operations.
According to these sources, the armed groups in line with Turkey are divided into different military units and in several fronts of Idlib province and some villages of the cities of “Mara”, “Azaz” and around the military airport “Mangh” near the city of “Manbij” as well They are stationed on the border between al-Qamishli and al-Hasakah.
According to the report, the Turkish army is preparing for two military operations in northern Syria, and these operations may begin at any time without prior notice. One of these operations will take place in Idlib province to support terrorist groups based there, and the other in northeastern Syria against Kurdish militants.
A source close to the Syrian opposition told RIA Novosti that the date of the operation was unknown, but that it was not possible before a meeting between Erdogan and Biden in early November. The meeting is scheduled to take place at the Glasgow Climate Summit in Scotland.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşo اغlu also said yesterday (Thursday) that Turkey should do everything it can to protect its borders and security. He blamed the United States and Russia for what he called “non-compliance” by Syrian Kurdish forces.
On Wednesday, a convoy of 100 Turkish soldiers carrying tanks and heavy artillery headed for Jabal al-Zawiyah in Idlib, Syria. On Tuesday, the Turkish parliament approved a military presence in Iraq and Syria for another two years.
The Turkish military has so far conducted three large-scale military operations with allied militias in northern and northeastern Syria, occupying parts of the country each time. Operation Euphrates Shield on August 24, 2016, Operation Olive Branch on January 20, and Operation Fountain of Peace on October 9, 2019 are Turkish military operations in Syria.
