The threat of Turkish drone strikes continues to upend the lives of Northeast Syria’s population. On September 3, a drone struck the vehicle of a senior commander of the Internal Security Forces (ISF) in the city of Qamishli, killing him. This marked the 115th drone strike by Turkish forces in the Autonomous Administration’s zone of control. The city of Qamishli in particular, one of the major economic hubs of the region, saw several drone strikes in August, which targeted both Internal Security Forces facilities and personnel, as well as the city’s heart and eye clinic, and vehicles belonging to civilians. Previously, a drone struck in the border town of Amude, killing two people.
While attacks by Turkish aircraft decreased over the summer, following intense airstrikes in the beginning of the year that devastated the civilian infrastructure of the region, causing billions of dollars in damages, there has been an uptick in strikes in recent months.
These attacks have been a regular occurrence in Northeast Syria since mid-2020, and as they have faced no pushback from the region’s American and Russian ceasefire guarantors, will likely continue to cause instability and harm anti-terrorism efforts.