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Kurdish-Iranian Fighter Killed in Turkish Strike on Eastern Syria

A Turkey-backed Syrian fighter is pictured at a military position on the outskirts of the town of Kuljibrin, in Syria's northern Aleppo governorate, on August 8, 2022. (AFP)
A Turkey-backed Syrian fighter is pictured at a military position on the outskirts of the town of Kuljibrin, in Syria's northern Aleppo governorate, on August 8, 2022. (AFP)
    Ankara, Qamishli - Saeed Abdulrazek and Kamal Sheikho
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Kurdish-Iranian Fighter Killed in Turkish Strike on Eastern Syria

A Turkey-backed Syrian fighter is pictured at a military position on the outskirts of the town of Kuljibrin, in Syria's northern Aleppo governorate, on August 8, 2022. (AFP)
A Turkey-backed Syrian fighter is pictured at a military position on the outskirts of the town of Kuljibrin, in Syria's northern Aleppo governorate, on August 8, 2022. (AFP)

Turkish forced killed a senior commander of the anti-Iran Kurdistan Free Life Party in a drone strike in Syria’s northeaster Qamishli province.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights identified the commander as an Iranian, who died of his wounds four day after the strike.

The attack targeted his vehicle in the industrial zone in Qamishli city.

The rights monitor confirmed that the commander was the intended target. He was followed from Syria's Amuda all the way to Qamishli where the strike was carried out.

Reports said Turkish and Iranian intelligence coordinated the attack.

Four other people were killed in the operation including three civilians that included two children. Another member of the Kurdistan Free Life Party was also killed in the strike.

The Kurdish autonomous administration in northeastern Syria confirmed the killing of the Kurdish-Iranian commander, identified as Youssef Mahmoud Rabbani.

It revealed that the attack had taken place on August 7.

It said Rabbani was in the area to hold meetings with people to bridge divides between them.

The Kurdistan Free Life Party was formed in 2004 as an extension of the Turkish Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Its members fight alongside the PKK and Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria that control large parts of the country’s northeast since 2013.

The autonomous authority rarely declares the death of non-Syrian military members of the YPG or Syrian Democratic Forces.

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Iraqi Kurdistan: Assailant of Assyrian Celebration Attack Affiliated with ISIS

 Akitu holiday celebrators carrying a flag for the Assyrians in Iraq (AP). 
 Akitu holiday celebrators carrying a flag for the Assyrians in Iraq (AP). 
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Iraqi Kurdistan: Assailant of Assyrian Celebration Attack Affiliated with ISIS

 Akitu holiday celebrators carrying a flag for the Assyrians in Iraq (AP). 
 Akitu holiday celebrators carrying a flag for the Assyrians in Iraq (AP). 

Authorities in Duhok, in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, announced on Wednesday that the attack carried out by a Syrian national during a Christian celebration in the city was an “act of terrorism.”

On Tuesday, the attacker infiltrated a gathering of Syriac Christians celebrating the Akitu festival in central Duhok. He then pulled out an axe and attacked a young man, a 70-year-old woman, and a security officer.

Videos circulating on local media platforms showed a group of people apprehending the attacker, who was seen making hand gestures and shouting “Islamic State.” Shamon Shlimon, the deputy governor of Duhok, stated that initial investigations revealed the attacker was a Syrian national and that given the slogans he shouted, “it is clear that the attack was an act of terrorism.”

Later, security sources confirmed that the assailant admitted to police that he belonged to a terrorist organization.

The Kurdistan Regional Security Council later announced that the attacker was affiliated with an ISIS-linked group. In a press statement, the council said: “While the people of Duhok were celebrating Akitu, an individual holding extremist ISIS ideologies attacked citizens in the market with a sharp weapon.”

The Kurdistan Regional Presidency condemned the “criminal attack,” affirming that it would not tolerate any actions that undermine the culture of coexistence, acceptance, and tolerance.

In a statement on Wednesday, the presidency said it was “closely following” the investigation into the “criminal attack” in Duhok, assuring that the perpetrator will face legal consequences.

This is the first attack of its kind in Duhok. Chaldeans and Syriacs celebrate Babylonian-Assyrian New Year (Akitu) every April 1. During the recent attack, more than 8,000 people were present, half of whom were from outside the Kurdistan region, according to local reports.

The Akitu festival features celebrations, cultural and artistic events, and recreational activities, including traditional dances.