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Executive Summary for April 25th

We review the key developments in Syria, including Turkey killing 18 Kurdish YPG fighters and media officials in northeastern Syria, 11 dying in Raqqa trying to flee ISIS-U.S. coalition clashes, and U.S. sanctions on government scientists behind deadly chemical weapons.

Published on April 25, 2017 Read time Approx. 2 minutes

Turkish Airstrikes Target YPG Headquarters, Media Station

At least 18 Kurdish YPG fighters and media officials were killed in Turkish air raids on northeastern Syria on Tuesday, according to the monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), Reuters reported.

The YPG militia is the leading contingent in the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which have been advancing on Raqqa, the so-called Islamic State’s main enclave in Syria.

Ankara views the YPG as an extension of its own Kurdish insurgency, the PKK, and said the strikes were undertaken to prevent the PKK from transporting weapons and explosives that could be used to target Turkey. The Turkish military also targeted Kurdish forces in Iraq on Tuesday.

“To destroy these terror hubs which threaten the security, unity and integrity of our country and our nation and as part of our rights based on international law, air strikes have been carried out … and terrorist targets have been struck with success,” the Turkish army said in a statement.

The YPG said a media center, a local radio station, communications facilities and military institutions were all hit in the YPG headquarters, in Malikiya in northeastern Syria.

“This treacherous attack has led to the death and wounding of a number of our comrades,” it said.

Suspected U.S.-Led Coalition Airstrikes Kill At Least 11 People Fleeing Raqqa

At least 11 people, including seven children, were killed while trying to escape clashes between the U.S.-led coalition and ISIS in Raqqa province, Al Jazeera reported.

A suspected U.S. airstrike killed a family when it hit their car as they left the city of Tabqa in northern Raqqa province, according to the monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

271 Syrian Government Employees Under New U.S. Sanctions

The U.S. imposed sanctions on 271 employees of the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Centre (SSRC) in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack earlier this month, BBC News reported.

The employees were responsible for “developing and producing non-conventional weapons and the means to deliver them,” said the U.S. treasury department in a statement on Monday.

The Syrian government denied responsibility for the alleged toxic gas attack, which killed more the 80 people in rebel-held Khan Sheikhoun earlier this month. Its ally, Russia, claimed the government airstrikes targeted a rebel chemical weapons depot.

“The United States is sending a strong message with this action that we will hold the entire Assad regime accountable for these blatant human rights violations in order to deter the spread of these types of barbaric chemical weapons,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

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