The Turkish Defense Ministry announced the killing of 13 members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that were allegedly plotting a terror attack in areas held by Turkish forces and allied Syrian factions in northeastern Syria.
“Turkish forces continue to pursue terrorists (SDF fighters) who seek to flood the liberated areas in northern Syria with blood,” said the ministry in a statement on Thursday.
The statement pointed out that 13 elements were neutralized in two successive operations on Wednesday. It also claimed that those killed had intended to carry out a terrorist attack in the area liberated by the Turkish “Peace Spring” operation.
The 2019 Turkish offensive into northeastern Syria, code-named Operation Peace Spring by Ankara, was a cross-border military operation conducted by the Turkish military and the Syrian National Army against the SDF and later the Syrian army in northern Syria.
It was ended a few days after its launch by understandings between the US and Russia. Those understandings included withdrawing SDF units 30 kilometers away from borders with Turkey.
Areas of contact with the SDF and the regime forces continue to witness intermittent clashes with Turkish forces. Infiltration attempts are carried out by both sides but without any significant change in which party controls what area.
In the Afrin countryside, Turkish intelligence officers arrested four residents for spying for the Kurdish Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
In other news, a Turkish man in the western Izmir province burned to death three Syrian refugees, London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
According to the war monitor’s local sources, the incident happened on Nov. 16, but reports started to come out this week. Turkish authorities had tried to keep the incident from being reported.
There was no previous dispute between the attacker and his victims, who were all working for a pavement stone manufacturer. The young men died in a fire started by the attacker, who poured gasoline on the makeshift hut they were sleeping in and set it on fire.
A Turkish rights group said the crime was motivated by discrimination.
The victims were identified as Mamoun al-Nabhan (23), Ahmed Al-Ali (21) and Muhammed el-Bish (17).
