David Eubank of the Free Burma Rangers recorded a video this weekend near a small, still-smoking crater in northern Syria, documenting a suspected Turkish drone strike on a village west of Ayn Issa, the capital of a semi-autonomous Kurdish region. The strike, which occurred around 5:45 p.m. local time on Sunday, caused damage to a building and a nearby vehicle but did not result in any reported casualties.
In the video sent to International Christian Concern (ICC), Eubank stressed that the area struck had no military targets. “You see all these kids and villagers around here,” he said, “there’s no military target here.” Analysts suspect that a Turkish military drone, operated out of Gaziantep Airport near the border, was responsible for the attack. The strike occurred south of the Turkish border, near the Euphrates River, and may have violated a recent ceasefire agreement.
Turkey has long opposed the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, which has made efforts to protect religious minorities from persecution. The region remains under pressure from Turkey, militias, and the Syrian government.
