Turkish Forces Shell Villages of Ain Issa Countryside

A Syrian in the street of Idlib last Monday (AFP)
A Syrian in the street of Idlib last Monday (AFP)
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Turkish Forces Shell Villages of Ain Issa Countryside

A Syrian in the street of Idlib last Monday (AFP)
A Syrian in the street of Idlib last Monday (AFP)

Turkish forces and its loyal factions stepped up Tuesday their missile strikes in the vicinity of the town of Ain Issa, which is under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northern countryside of Raqqa.

The exchange of fire between the SDF and Turkish-backed factions coincided with an infiltration attempt by Turkish-backed factions into SDF posts in the village of Maalak near the M4 road.

Turkish forces also shelled the towns of Sayda in the same area, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.

The clashes were accompanied by an exchange of fire, amid confirmed reports of casualties.

Also, Turkish forces and proxy factions shelled positions in Ain Issa, where several shells fell near a Russian post in the area.

According to SOHR, after Turkey conducted a cross-border attack into northeastern Syria in October 2019, Russia reached a ceasefire deals with Ankara, which allowed Turkish troops to control the area between Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain.

However, Turkey continues to periodically target areas held by the Kurdish-led forces.

For her part, Head of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) Ilham Ahmad earlier called on Russia and the US to prevent further Turkish attacks, warning of a possible new Turkish operation near Ain Issa.

She highlighted unprecedented escalation in Tal Tamer and Ain Issa by Turkey in a statement she posted in Twitter.

“We hold the guarantor countries [to] the responsibility to bind Turkey to ceasefire agreements,” she stressed in her statement,

Meanwhile, SOHR sources reported that Syrian regime forces have renewed ground bombardment on areas in the Idlib countryside, targeting with rocket-propelled grenades al-Fatira, Kansafra, Safohin, Benin, Ruwayha, Madlia, Kadoura and other areas in eastern and southern Idlib provinces.



Four Moroccan Truck Drivers Kidnapped in Burkina Faso Are Released

A general view of the Moroccan capital Rabat. (File photo/AFP)
A general view of the Moroccan capital Rabat. (File photo/AFP)
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Four Moroccan Truck Drivers Kidnapped in Burkina Faso Are Released

A general view of the Moroccan capital Rabat. (File photo/AFP)
A general view of the Moroccan capital Rabat. (File photo/AFP)

Four Moroccan truck drivers who were kidnapped in West Africa over the weekend were released in Niger, officials said, according to AP.

The drivers were the latest victims of insecurity in the Sahel, an arid swath of land south of the Sahara where militant groups such as ISIS - Sahel Province have in recent years exploited local grievances to grow their ranks and expand their presence.

The four were transporting electrical equipment from Casablanca to Niamey, the capital city of Niger, and had been on the road for more than 20 days traveling the 3,000-mile (4,950-kilometer) truck route when they were reported missing on Saturday, said the secretary-general of Morocco's Transport Union and a Moroccan official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the kidnapping.

The Moroccan Embassy in Burkina Faso late on Monday informed the union that the four drivers had been freed and were safe in Niamey.

“They will be brought back soon,” said Echarki El Hachmi, the union's secretary-general.

Their trucks and hauls remain missing, he added.

Burkina Faso and Niger are battling extremist militant groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS, whose insurgencies have destabilized Sahel states in West Africa over the past decade.

A Moroccan diplomatic source earlier said the embassy was working together with Burkina Faso authorities to find the drivers.

Authorities in Burkina Faso have been organizing security convoys to escort trucks in the border area to protect against militant attacks, the source said.

El Hachmi had told Reuters that the trucks set off after waiting for a week without getting an escort.

He urged more protection in high-risk areas as the number of Moroccan trucks crossing the Sahel continues to rise.

Earlier this month, a convoy of Moroccan trucks was attacked on the Malian border with Mauritania. There were no casualties, El Hachmi said.