QAMISHLI: Syria’s semi-autonomous Kurdish administration accused Turkiye of killing four civilians in the Manbij area, where clashes have raged for weeks over control of a strategic dam.

“The Turkish occupation state targeted again a gathering of civilians at the Tishreen Dam” who were supporting the Kurdish-led Syrian Demo­cratic Forces (SDF) in their fight to repel Turkish-backed forces, the Kurdish administration said in a statement. “This attack injured and killed civilians... including four martyrs and 15 wounded,” it added.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported three civilians deaths in a “Turkish drone strike” and warned the toll was likely to rise. The civilians were among protesters backing the SDF in their fight against pro-Turkish factions over the strategic dam, said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the British-based monitor with a network of sources in Syria.

Control over the dam “would allow for a rapid advance towards areas controlled by the Kurds,” said Abdel Rahman. Tur­kish-backed factions in northern Syria resumed their fight with the SDF at the same time as rebels were launching an offensive on Nov 27 that overthrew Syrian president Bashar al-Assad just 11 days later.

The pro-Ankara groups succeeded in capturing Kurdish-held Manbij city and Tal Rifaat in northern Aleppo province, despite US-led efforts to establish a truce in the Manbij area. The fighting has continued since, with hundreds of people killed, mostly fighters.

On Wednesday, Syria’s top diplomat Asaad al-Shaibani visited Ankara, vowing Syria will never allow its territory to be used as a staging ground for threats against Turkiye. He was referring to the presence of the US-backed SDF, which the West sees as essential in the fight against the militant Islamic State group.

But Turkiye accuses its main component, the People’s Protection Units, of being affiliated with the banned Kurdis­tan Work­ers’ Party.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2025