Turkish bombing of Tel Tamr Military Council communications office in North and East Syria kills 4 as Turkish attacks escalate

TEL TAMR, Syria — Hundreds of people protested in a sit-in in front of the Martyrs’ Families Council in the town of Tel Tamr in North and East Syria on Thursday to demonstrate against Turkey’s continued aggression in the Syria and Iraq.

Turkey has conducted repeated and intense bombardment of Ayn Issa, Abu Rasayn (Zarkan), and Tel Tamr in North and East Syria.

On 4 August, between 2 and 3 a.m., a Turkish tank bombed a civilian area in Ayn Issa killing four and leaving two wounded. All those killed and injured were from the same family. Three children 12 years old and younger were killed.

On Monday, 16 August, Turkey assassinated Yezidi politician and Shengal Resistance Units (Yekîneyên Berxwedana Şengalê, YBŞ) official Saeed Hasan in Shengal (Sinjar), Iraq, while he was enroute to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

Hasan was formerly a member of the Ezidi Democratic Movement and, following the integration of the YBŞ into the Popular Mobilization Forces of the Iraqi Armed Forces, was a commander of the 80th PMU Brigade in Shengal. A native of Shengal, he helped organize the Yezidi resistance against the Islamic State since its first invaded the region in 2014.

The next day, Turkish aircraft targeted a hospital in the village of Sikêniyê on the southern side of the Shengal mountain range with a series of airstrikes.

The hospital was run by volunteers in the YBŞ and served the local community, most recently helping to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Eight people — 7 Yezidis and 1 Arab — were killed in the attack. Four were civilian medical personal and four were members of the YBŞ, including the Arab. Four other medical workers were wounded in the airstrikes.

On Wednesday, intense Turkish artillery bombardment killed two civilians and injured at least 10 others in Abu Rasayn.

The increasing intensity and frequency of the Turkish attacks led to the Thursday protests.

Following the protesters demonstration in front of the Martyrs’ Families Council, they headed to the Russian base north of Tel Tamr, chanting slogans demanding the Russian forces assume their responsibilities in protecting the area from the Turkish bombing.

Hours after the protest, Turkey conducted yet another air strike on a communications center of the Tel Tamr Military Council resulting in the death of four fighters and the wounding of several others. Pictures of the site showed significant damage to the building and adjacent houses.

The Media Center of the Tel Tamr Military Council issued a statement indicating that the continued Turkish bombing on different areas, including the village of Tawila, west of Tal Tamr along the M4 Highway, caused the death of civilians and the injury of more than 16 civilians, most of whom were children and women. The town of Abu Rasayn and the villages of Dardara, Qubur al-Qarajneh, Musalta, Qabr al-Saghir, and Sheikh al-Ali were also bombed.

Member of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) Hussein Azzam told SuroyoFM that they consider Turkey’s continued aggression and targeting of civilians is intentional and unacceptable.

Azzam pointed out that the international community remains silent despite the egregious war crimes being committed by Turkey and called on it to do more to end Turkish atrocities.

Azzam demanded an end to the behavior of the Turkish occupation, describing it as barbaric.