Market blast in north Syria kills at least 9, wounds dozens
Newslooks- BEIRUT (AP) – AlJazeera
A rocket attack on a crowded market in a town held by Turkey-backed opposition fighters in northern Syria Friday killed at least nine people and wounded dozens, an opposition war monitor and a paramedic group reported.
The attack on the town of al-Bab came days after a Turkish airstrike killed at least 11 Syrian troops and U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, blamed Syrian government forces for the shelling, saying it was in retaliation for the Turkish airstrike.
The Observatory said the attack killed at least 10 and wounded more than 30.
The opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense, also known as White Helmets, had a lower death toll, saying nine people, including children, were killed and 28 were wounded. The paramedic group said its members evacuated some of the wounded and the dead bodies.
Discrepancies in casualty figures immediately after attacks are not uncommon in Syria.
Turkey has launched three major cross-border operations into Syria since 2016 and controls some territories in the north.
Although the fighting has waned over the past few years, shelling and airstrikes are not uncommon in northern Syria that is home to the last major rebel stronghold in the country.
Syria’s conflict that began in March 2011, has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million.
President Bashar Assad’s forces have regained control of most parts of Syria over the past few years, with the help of their allies, Russia and Iran.
On the other side, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says dialogue and diplomacy with the Syrian government cannot be ruled out, the latest sign that Ankara may be willing to mend ties with its southern neighbour.
“There is a need to take further steps with Syria,” Erdogan told reporters, adding diplomacy between states could never be fully severed.
The tone of Erdogan’s comments appears to be softer than his previous position on Syria, where his government backed the opposition and intervened militarily. Turkey currently occupies territory across vast swaths of northern Syria.
Earlier this year, Erdogan promised to conduct a cross-border military operation.
Turkey’s military operations have largely targeted the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia, which it deems the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a designated “terrorist” group in Turkey, the United States, and the European Union.
However, the YPG is the predominant force in the Syrian Democratic Forces, which the United States relied on heavily to fight the armed group ISIL (ISIS).
The incursions into Syria and the threat of new military operations have brought Ankara into conflict with Damascus and caused tensions with Russia, the Syrian government’s main backer.
No ‘eyes on territory’
Seeking to allay some of the Syrian government’s fears, Erdogan said on Friday his country is not looking to seize any Syrian territory, despite the increase in fighting with Kurdish forces in the north.
“We do not have eyes on the territory of Syria because the people of Syria are our brothers,” Erdogan said. “The regime must be aware of this.”
Erdogan’s comments came days after the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said a Turkish air attack on a Syrian border post run by government forces killed 17 fighters. The Syrian state news agency SANA acknowledged the deaths of three soldiers.
Speaking last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called for reconciliation between the Syrian government and the opposition.
That has led to a widespread campaign by the Syrian opposition, rejecting any potential future deal between Turkey and the Syrian government.
