The invading Turkish army and allied mercenaries launched an aggression in the region of the Zirgan town in Heseke Canton on Saturday. The attack with heavy weapons targeted the villages of Wihêla Ereban, Wihêla Kurdan and Bûbê.

The occupation forces also shelled the village of Şewarxa in Afrin’s Shera district on Friday.

On the other hand, the Press Office of Manbij Military Council reported attacks by the Turkish troops and mercenary allies. Accordingly, the attacks with mortars were directed against the populated villages of Erep Hesen and Yalanlı to the north and northwest of Manbij.

Turkey is bombing the autonomous region of northern and eastern Syria on an almost daily basis. The attacks, both from the ground and from the air, are carried out with the de facto approval of the international community.

Eighty per cent of the infrastructure in northern and eastern Syria was destroyed in the widespread bombardments carried out by Turkey between 4 and 10 October. Since 22 November, Turkish drones have been bombing the civilian population at random.

AANES calls for international action against Turkish attacks

In a statement on 24 November, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) called for international intervention against Turkey's attacks on the civilian population in violation of international law. "The attacks by the Turkish state must be stopped and those responsible for the killing of innocent civilians must be brought to justice as war criminals in accordance with international legal standards," said the AANES on the current wave of attacks by Turkey.

AANES stated that the AKP government is using the attacks on the autonomous region to divert attention from problems at home. “To this end, Turkey is inventing false justifications to deceive the public. Attacks on civilians are war crimes that cannot be justified by anything,” stressed the AANES.

Remarking that the fight against ISIS is also being severely hampered, AANES pointed out that: "The Turkish state is causing chaos and terror in the region. The attacks are leading to an extreme deterioration in the humanitarian situation. We demand a clear position from all actors.”

Manbij, a key strategic position in Turkey's plans to expand its illegal occupation zone

Manbij is located 30 kilometres south of the Turkish border and occupies a key strategic position in Turkey's plans to expand its illegal occupation zone in northern Syria. The city, which is administered by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), is located on the important M4 motorway, which runs through northern Syria like a lifeline and was already a strategic supply route for ISIS.

In 2022, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan named Manbij, along with Tel Rifat, as the first target for a new Turkish invasion of northern and eastern Syria. Attacks on the town and neighbouring villages, which are carried out by jihadist militias loyal to Ankara as well as the Turkish army, have been taking place for years. The Tuesday before last, two people, including a minor, were injured in a drone attack on a settlement north of Manbij.

Afrin, one of the most peaceful and secure parts of Syria, occupied since March 2018

Afrin, on the other hand, was the westernmost canton of Rojava and North and East Syria, home to 200,000 ethnic Kurds. Though the population was overwhelmingly Kurdish, it was home to diverse religious groups including Yazidis, Alawites and Christians alongside Sunni Muslims.

On 20 January 2018, Turkey launched air strikes on 100 locations in Afrin, as the onset of an invasion they dubbed ‘Operation Olive Branch.’

The Turkish Airforce indiscriminately shelled civilians as well as YPG/YPJ positions, while a ground assault was carried out by factions and militias organised under the umbrella of the Turkish-backed National Army.

By 15 March, Turkish-backed militias had encircled Afrin city and placed it under artillery bombardment. A Turkish airstrike struck the city’s only functioning hospital, killing 16 civilians.

Civilians fled and the SDF retreated, and by 18 March Turkey was in de facto occupation of Afrin. Between 400 and 500 civilians died in the invasion, overwhelmingly as a result of Turkish bombing. Other civilians were summarily executed in the field.

Prior to the Turkish invasion, Afrin had been one of the most peaceful and secure parts of Syria, virtually never seeing combat during the civil war bar occasional skirmishes between YPG/YPJ and jihadi forces on its borders. As a result, Afrin offered peaceful sanctuary to over 300,000 internally displaced people from elsewhere in Syria.