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This week in Northern Syria (V)

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This week in Northern Syria (V)

A rundown of key events from Turkish/SNA & SDF-controlled territories

Alexander McKeever
Aug 14, 2022
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This week in Northern Syria (V)

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Events

  • 08/02/22: Asayish forces (AANES Internal Security) foiled an attempt to smuggle 17 Islamic State women and 39 children out of al-Hawl camp. The 56 individuals were hidden under a false truck bed. Earlier this year the US Treasury Department sanctioned five individuals responsible for financing the smuggling of IS-affiliated individuals out of al-Hawl and other AANES IDP camps, often to opposition-controlled parts of Syria.

  • Pro-SDF ‘Rojava Media Center’ published an infographic detailing attacks by the Turkish military and SNA proxies on AANES-controlled territory during the month of July. (Ignore the ‘24’ in the header: it doesn’t appear in the Arabic, Kurdish, and Turkish versions)

  • 08/03/22: SNA Third Legion/al-Jabhah al-Shamiyah commander Muhannad al-Khalaf ‘Abu Ahmed Nour’ resigned from his leadership position and was replaced by Hussam al-Yassin ‘Abu Yassin.’ It’s unclear what caused Abu Ahmed Nour to step down though it seems probable that the decision is related to the clashes with Ahrar al-Sham and Tahrir al-Sham earlier this summer. Hussam al-Yassin was a founder of Aleppo-based opposition faction Jaysh al-Mujahidin (and Thuwwar al-Sham), and previously led al-Jabhah al-Shamiyah from 2016 to 2018. Since then he was the Third Legion’s main commander in the Tell Abyad/northern al-Raqqah area. Abu Ahmed Nour was a commander in Liwa’ al-Tawhid, the main Allepine opposition faction in the early years of the war and the original nucleus of al-Jabhah al-Shamiyah.

    Hussam al-Yassin seated in the center in the light green shirt, Abu Ahmed Nour to his left in the dark green shirt.
  • 08/03/22: Regime forces destroy a van on the al-Sheikh ‘Aqil/Kabashin front, reportedly belonging to Tahrir al-Sham, killing four fighters. Provided that reports identifying these fighters as HTS are correct, this would confirm that HTS has maintained its presence in this southeastern corner of Afrin since entering in June 2022.

    Twitter avatar for @QalaatAlMudiq
    Qalaat Al Mudiq @QalaatAlMudiq
    #Syria: pro-Assad forces from Nubul & Zahraa retaliated today to the 13rd May attack (10 fighters killed by Rebels) destroying with an #ATGM a Rebel vehicle on Sheikh Aqil front (W. #Aleppo). No official death toll, but btwn 2-4 dead & ~5 wounded among Rebels.
    5:49 PM ∙ Aug 3, 2022
    13Likes1Retweet
    Target location in red, 36.327928, 36.929073
  • 08/03/22: Six civilians were injured when rockets fired from SDF/regime-controlled territory struck residential neighborhoods in A‘zaz. Images from the scene appear to show the remnants of a Type 63 rocket.

    Twitter avatar for @SyriaCivilDefe
    الدفاع المدني السوري @SyriaCivilDefe
    إصابة 6 مدنيين بينهم 4 نساء، مساء، الأربعاء 3 آب، بقصف صاروخي استهدف الأحياء السكنية وسط مدينة اعزاز شمالي #حلب، مصدره المناطق التي تسيطر عليها قوات النظام وقوات سوريا الديمقراطية . فرقنا أسعفت المصابين إلى المشفى وأمّنت مكان القصف على الفور. #الخوذ_البيضاء
    Image
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    9:47 PM ∙ Aug 3, 2022
    10Likes2Retweets
    (source)
  • 08/04/22: ‘Afrin Activists Network’ published a video showing the desecration of graves at Dargirê village cemetery. Such acts are not uncommon in Turkish-controlled and often appear to be motivated by anti-Kurdish sectarianism. However, given that these videos are always filmed after the fact, it’s always unclear whether the perpetrators are SNA militants or displaced peoples residing nearby.

    Cemetery location: 36.546514, 36.763105
  • 08/04/22: A Turkish loitering munition struck the town of Tell Rifa‘at reportedly injuring nine civilians including five children. A similar drone attack in Tell Rifa‘at the week prior killed one civilian, while injuring another five.

    Twitter avatar for @RojavaIC
    Rojava Information Center @RojavaIC
    A suicide drone exploded in the city of Tel Rifaat, injuring at least one person. Suicide drones are used by both the Turkish army & SNA militias. Shehba has been attacked 5 times in the past month. In 2022, 63 Turkish drone attacks killed at least 27 people & wounded 67 others.
    Image
    12:36 PM ∙ Aug 4, 2022
    47Likes25Retweets
  • 08/04/22: SNA Third Legion published an infographic detailing military actions conducted in the month of July against regime and SDF targets. They claim (without sharing corroborating media) to have destroyed two 23mm cannons, a DShK, an MRLS, and a tractor on the al-Shahba’ and Tadef frontlines, as well as having killed 20 regime and SDF soldiers. This is the first such infographic I’ve seen published by an SNA faction in a longtime, due to the general lack of combat across the region since 2019’s Operation Peace Spring.

  • 08/05/22: Presidents Erdogan and Putin met in the Russian city of Sochi to discuss a number of topics, including northern Syria. The most significant agreement reached was Ankara deciding to pay for Russian gas partially in rubles. With regards to Syria it appears that Putin continues to block new Turkish military operations, meaning status quo since the two met in Tehran on July 19th remains. The joint statement put out by Russia and Turkey afterwards includes a short paragraph on Syria, saying essentially nothing:

    Stressing the significance they attach to the preservation of Syria’s political unity and territorial integrity, the Leaders reaffirmed their determination to act in coordination and solidarity in the fight against all terrorist organizations.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) during a meeting in Sochi, on Aug. 5, 2022.
  • 08/05/22: The Islamic State claimed a series attacks against the SDF in Deir ez-Zour via the group’s al-Naba’ magazine. Their reporting alleged responsibility for the deaths of six SDF members. One victim, 17 year old ‘Zidan Aayish al-Fahaiman’ beheaded in the town of al-Basairah, was accused by IS as having fought for the SDF in al-Baghouz over three years ago.

    Image
  • 08/06/22: A Turkish drone strike targeting a car in the al-Sina‘ah neighborhood of al-Qamishli killed four individuals, including two children. The children have since been identified as Ahmad ‘Ali Shibi and Ahang Akram Shibi. The third victim was a member of the SDF’s military discipline institute named Mazloum Asa‘ad (‘Roxaz Amuda’). In the days following the attack both the Turkish government and representatives of the AANES identified the fourth individual as Youssef Mahmoud Rabani, a veteran of the PKK-affiliated PJAK organization based in Rojhelat/Iranian Kurdistan. According to the AANES Rabani was only visiting northeastern Syria, which appears likely given that Turkish security officials told state news outlet Anadolu Agency that Rabani commanded fighters engaged in anti-Turkish insurgency in the Heftanin region of the KRI.

    Ahmad ‘Ali Shibi and Ahang Akram Shibi
    Mazloum Asa‘ad ‘Roxaz Amuda’
    Youssef Mahmoud Rabani (source)
    Twitter avatar for @obretix
    Samir @obretix
    geolocation of the Turkish drone strike on a car in Qamishli today google.com/maps?ll=37.052… youtube.com/watch?v=AGeqx4…
    Image
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    Image
    Twitter avatar for @HoshangHesen
    Hoshang Hasan @HoshangHesen
    #BREAKING An explosion at industrial area in Qamishlo. Some sources say a #Turkish drone targeted it. There is many injuries some of them are kids. https://t.co/ppxjMzuMp1
    10:29 PM ∙ Aug 6, 2022
    26Likes5Retweets
  • 08/08/22: The Turkish military shelled a number of locations in AANES-controlled al-Hasakah governorate. Most the areas targeted lie along the Syrian-Turkish border and were likely hit by shells fired from inside Turkey. One civilian was reportedly injured while a communications tower was damaged.

    Twitter avatar for @RojavaIC
    Rojava Information Center @RojavaIC
    The Internal Security Forces of NES (Asayish) report that early this morning the Turkish army shelled several border villages, as well as the town of Zirgan. 2 shells were fired on Tel Ziwan, 3 on Khanika, 3 on Zirgan and 3 on Jetli. No casualties have been reported yet.
    Image
    7:20 AM ∙ Aug 8, 2022
    113Likes64Retweets

Other

  • Great Twitter/Instagram account sharing old photographs, illustrations, postcards, and stamps from Syria, dating back to the Ottoman era.

Twitter avatar for @jaretalaassi
jaret alaassi @jaretalaassi
التكية السليمانية وما حولها في مدينة دمشق عام 1963. Damascus
Image
12:13 PM ∙ Aug 11, 2022
Twitter avatar for @jaretalaassi
jaret alaassi @jaretalaassi
مشهد من مدينة السويداء عام 1920s. Souidaa
Image
12:10 PM ∙ Aug 11, 2022
  • Map put out by Jusour last month showing the locations of US/Coalition bases in eastern Syria. [I have not yet independently confirmed all of these location]

    Twitter avatar for @jusoorstudies
    مركز جسور للدراسات @jusoorstudies
    على مدار أكثر من عامين ونصف ومنذ انسحابها من قواعدها في محافظتَيْ #حلب والرقة في تشرين الأوّل/ أكتوبر من عام 2019؛ حافظت #قوات_التحالف_الدولي ضدّ #داعش الذي تقوده#الولايات_المتحدة_الأمريكية على عدد ومناطق انتشار مواقعها العسكريّة في #سورية والبالغة 28 موقعاً عسكريّاً
    Image
    7:15 AM ∙ Jul 20, 2022
    13Likes3Retweets
  • A collection of high resolution Ottoman-era maps of Syria and more

    Twitter avatar for @_ZachFoster
    Zachary Foster @_ZachFoster
    I just uploaded ~25 free to download high-resolution Ottoman Maps 🗺️ of the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia, North American and South America. Enjoy✌️ ...including maps of Mosul 🇮🇶 Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 and one large map of the entire Ottoman Empire 🇹🇷 middleastonight.com/maps
    Image
    3:32 PM ∙ Jul 28, 2022
    75Likes30Retweets

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