According to local sources, four people were killed and four to five civilians were injured in Turkish airstrikes in Takil Bakil village in the Derik countryside, in northeastern Syria on February 1st 2022 at 9pm in the evening by two missiles. The Syrian Democratic Forces identified the four people killed as being fighters.
According to local sources the Turkish bombing targeted an electric power station and an oil station. The bombing led to a power outage in the area, after the power station was left with destruction. ABC News added that the strike hit the building where the guards stay. This came a day after a Turkish drone stuck another power station near the Semalka border crossing between Syria and Iraq’s Kurdish region.
The four people who were killed were workers and guards at the electric power station, identified by the SDF as “our fighters who were in charge of protecting the station”. The SDF provided the names of the four fighters killed: Siamand Afrin, Khimkin Afrin, Shiar Kobani, and Muhyiddin Derik.
The SDF identified five civilian workers as being injured in the strikes while North Press Agency reported that four civilians were wounded. All injured civilians were taken to Dirk hospital.
One injured man, Othman Hussein Suleiuman, from the village of Borouj, told North Press, “all I remember is that I heard the sound of a plane, so I went inside the station to tell my colleagues.” The North Press added that “he heard the plane being hit by two missiles, but he lost consciousness and did not feel anything until he woke up in the hospital.”
The Turkish Ministry of National Defense released a statement declaring the strike the day of, stating that “In the Winter Eagle Operation carried out; shelters, bunkers, caves, tunnels, ammunition depots and so-called headquarters and training camps belonging to terrorists who threaten our country, nation and border security were targeted. In the planning and execution of the operation, maximum sensitivity was shown for the safety of life and property of the civilian population and the protection of the environment.”
Al Jazeera pointed out that Turkey cited the 51st article of the UN Charter, which states that “nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security”.
The incident occured at 21:00:00 local time.
