Turkey carried out its first airstrikes in a northern Syria zone occupied by the Kurdish militia on Saturday.

According to a monitor, the airforce carried out the attack in the night after 17 months. 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said, “A Turkish fighter jet has struck military positions of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Saida village in Ain Issa countryside… which caused loud explosions.”

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SOHR confirming casualties said that the airstrikes happened on the same day as “intensive rocket fire” and “violent clashes” unfolded at the frontlines of the Ain Issa district between SDF forces and Turkish-backed factions. 

The director of the SOHR, Rami Abdul Rahman, said “Clashes between the two sides have been going on for the last 24 hours… Turkish forces have had difficulty advancing since the SDF destroyed a Turkish tank,” he told AFP. 

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Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units a “terrorist offshoot” of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party. They are a vital part of the SDF. However, they have also been a key ally to the United States and others in the battle against the Islamic State group in Syria.

The last airstrike military campaign called “Operation Peace Spring” was launched by Ankara and its Syrian allies against the SDF in northern Syria in October 2019. 

Two accords were negotiated by Ankara with Washington and Moscow allowed Turkey to take control of a “safe zone” approximately 120 km in length. Kurdish forces maintained control over the village of Ain Issa