Helicopters Bomb Turkish-Backed Rebels in Northern Syria

A suspected Syrian government helicopter bombed Turkish-backed rebels in northern Syria on Wednesday, according to the BBC.

The helicopter reportedly dropped barrel bombs on Turkish-backed rebel forces in the village of Tal Nayif, killing two and wounding five, according to a statement from the Turkish military.

The Syrian military has yet to confirm the strike, but if true, this would be the first government attack on Turkish-backed forces in Syria since the capital Ankara began its operation to push so-called Islamic State militants and Kurdish YPG fighters back from its border with Syria two months ago.

Despite the attack, Turkey vowed to continue its operation in Syria until the town of al-Bab is taken from ISIS militants, Reuters reported.

“This kind of attack will not stop our fight against Daesh (Islamic State),” Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a news conference in Ankara. “This operation will continue until al-Bab. The operation needs to continue, and it will.”

The Syrian government previously publicly denounced Turkey’s operation and support for opposition forces, calling it a “dangerous escalation and flagrant violation of Syrian sovereignty.”

U.S.-Led Coalition Airstrikes Kill Hundreds: Amnesty

The U.S.-led coalition has killed some 300 civilians in Syria since it began its operation against the so-called Islamic State two years ago, according to a report from Amnesty International.

Last month, the human rights advocacy group sent a memorandum to the U.S. Department of Defense questioning the coalition’s “conduct” in Syria, but it has yet to receive a reply. Included in the memorandum were eyewitness reports suggesting U.S. Central Command “may have failed to take necessary precautions to spare civilians and carried out unlawful attacks that have killed and injured civilians,” the report said.

The Amnesty findings show that at least 11 separate coalition attacks killed civilians. The U.S. has so far acknowledged only one civilian death.

“It’s high time the U.S. authorities came clean about the full extent of the civilian damage caused by Coalition attacks in Syria,” said Lynn Maalouf, deputy director for research at Amnesty International’s Beirut regional office. “Independent and impartial investigations must be carried out into any potential violations of international humanitarian law and the findings should be made public.”

Meanwhile, defense secretary Ash Carter told NBC News on Wednesday that the U.S.-led coalition’s operation to push ISIS militants out of their Syrian stronghold Raqqa will begin “in the next few weeks.”

Airstrikes in Idlib Kill 22

At least 22 people, including seven children, were killed in airstrikes on the opposition-held Idlib province on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that several places in Haas village were hit, including one area near a school.

Russia and Syria have stepped up their aerial campaign in the northwestern Idlib province recently, predominantly under the control of Jaish al-Fatah, a coalition of opposition forces.

Recommended Reads

• Bloomberg News: U.S. Stuck With Nobody Left to Sanction in Russia Over Syria
• Al Jazeera: The Memories of 1967 Invade Syria Today
• BBC News: Playing Football as Bombs and Bullets Fly in Syria
• Al-Monitor: Syria Rejects Russian Proposal for Kurdish Federation
• The Atlantic: What the Syrian Kurds Have Wrought