Intense attacks by Ankara’s military and local armed groups operating under their command against the city of Derbassieh and surrounding towns in northern Hasakeh province forced thousands of civilians to leave their homes and move to safer areas in the south, the sources said.

Said hostile actions caused material damage to homes and civilian properties, while some towns were left almost empty of their inhabitants for fear of further bombing.

The Turkish army escalated its actions after the statements made by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in which he confirmed his country’s intention to control a 30-kilometer-deep border strip in Syrian territory, with the argument of eliminating the threat of Kurdish militias.

Large areas in the provinces of Idlib, Aleppo, Raqa and Hasakeh have been secured as a result of the operations called Olive Branch, Peace Fountain and Euphrates Shield conducted by Turkish forces since 2018.

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