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SDF Closes al-Awn al-Dadat Crossing Amid Ongoing Turkish Bombardment
Local sources reported that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) closed the al-Awn al-Dadat crossing in the countryside of Manbij, eastern Aleppo, on Saturday, in light of continued Turkish bombardment on their positions, resulting in casualties.
Local news networks stated that Turkish shelling struck an SDF military point near the "Jaraqli" hill close to the city of Kobani in eastern Aleppo, killing three SDF members and injuring others.
Additionally, a Turkish airstrike targeted a security military site of the SDF near the al-Awn al-Dadat crossing in the Manbij countryside, prompting the closure of the crossing.
A Turkish drone also targeted an SDF checkpoint in the city of Amuda, northern Hasakah, along with a training center in the village of Joli south of the city, and an arms depot, leading to consecutive explosions.
Furthermore, the Turkish army shelled heavy artillery positions of the SDF in the western countryside of Tal Abyad, northern Raqqa, while Turkish drones targeted locations in the town of Tal Rifaat and the village of Tal Qarah in northern Aleppo.
In recent days, Turkey has intensified its targeting of SDF positions in northeastern Syria, resulting in casualties among their ranks.
A security source told Syria TV that security and military forces received orders to evacuate all military facilities in cities and towns along the border with Turkey starting Thursday morning.
The source mentioned that "most facilities have one or two guards, who mostly remain nearby to avoid being targeted." For its part, Anadolu Agency reported, citing security sources, that "the Turkish intelligence agency will continue its operations without interruption until achieving the planned objective against the terrorist organization."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that his country will root out "terrorism," emphasizing that "if that is in Syria, we will do what is necessary." These remarks were made to reporters while returning on his plane from Kazan, Russia, after participating in the BRICS summit on Thursday.
Erdoğan confirmed that the "terrorist attack" targeting the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) in the capital Ankara on Wednesday was carried out by attackers infiltrating from Syria into Turkish territory.
He explained that Turkey conducted operations at 40 sites throughout the night following the attack (Thursday), inflicting "heavy losses on the terrorists."
