At around 2:30 a.m., Turkish airstrikes hit reported PKK positions atop Mount Sinjar. The airstrikes hit aPeshmerga communications tower and killed 5 Peshmerga soldiers and injured 9 more.[6] Per the mayor ofSinjar city, no casualties were reported among the PKK.[7]
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, thePresident of Turkey, stated that "We are obliged to take measures. We must take steps" after the airstrikes. Turkey stated to have contacted the United States, Russia, andMasoud Barzani,President of Iraqi Kurdistan, prior to the attacks. In response to the airstrike on a Peshmerga position which killed 5 of their soldiers, Erdoğan stated that it was "absolutely not an operation against [them]."[8]
A US military official and YPG commanders tour the area hit by the airstrikes
United States:Mark Toner, thespokesman of theState Department, said that the U.S. was "very concerned, deeply concerned" about the airstrikes, which had been conducted without approval of the U.S. and theUS-led coalition. He also said that the U.S. had "expressed those concerns to thegovernment of Turkey directly."[8] According to officials from theUnited States Central Command, the coordination center based inQatar turned down the Turkish requests to conduct the airstrikes.[9] After the airstrikes, US military officials visited the area in northeastern Syria hit by the attacks and met with the YPG to "de-escalate tensions" as they were "monitoring the developments".[1]
Iraq: TheIraqi Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks in Sinjar as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. The ministry stated that "any operation that is carried out by the Turkish government without any coordination with the Iraqi government is totally rejected.[7]
Iraqi Kurdistan: A statement by theKurdistan Regional Government called the airstrikes in Sinjar "painful and unacceptable". However, the KRG also called on the PKK to withdraw from Sinjar.[9]
Syria: TheForeign and Expatriates Ministry of Syria stated: "Syria denounces in the strongest of terms the blatant aggression carried out by Erdogan's regime on Syrian territory on Tuesday April 25th, 2017, when Turkish warplanes shelled positions in northeast Syria, claiming the lives of scores of innocent Syrian civilians."[10]
Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (DFNS): The airstrikes were condemned byTEV-DEM, the governing coalition of the DFNS, including thePYD. Several opposition parties in the DFNS also denounced the attacks, such as theKDPS/PDKS, thePDPKS, and thePYDKS.[11] On 30 April, theAfrin branch of theKNC (the most prominent opposition group in the DFNS) released a statement condemning the airstrikes and other Turkish attacks in northern Syria. "We condemn and denounce the Turkish aggression and demand the government of Ankara to stop the [attacks] immediately, we also ask PYD (Democratic Union Party) authorities to change its approach and authoritarian behavior and move towards a national and responsible approach to serve the unity of the Kurds and the Kurdish project in the face of challenges and serious risks in the present time and in the future for our Kurdish people", the council stated.[12]
On 26 April, theTurkish Army targeted YPG positions withartillery near the border town ofal-Darbasiyah in northeastern Hasaka. Heavy clashes then erupted between the YPG and the Turkish Army on the border, resulting in multiple casualties. Meanwhile, clashes also broke out between the YPG and the Turkish Army on the western border nearAfrin.[13] Border clashes continued for the next two days, with border outposts being targeted from both sides which resulted in dozens of casualties.[14]
On 28 April, Turkish forces removed a part of theTurkey–Syria barrier north ofAmuda and targeted villages north of the city with artillery.[15] On the same day, US troops, including 8 commanders, visited Derbassiye and other areas where the fighting took place.[16] On 29 April, more US troops inarmoured personnel carriers arrived on the Syrian side of the border.[17]
General Staff of the Republic of Turkey[1]
Turkish Air Force
United States:Mark Toner, thespokesman of theState Department, said that the U.S. was "very concerned, deeply concerned" about the airstrikes, which had been conducted without approval of the U.S. and theUS-led coalition. He also said that the U.S. had "expressed those concerns to thegovernment of Turkey directly."[8] According to officials from theUnited States Central Command, the coordination center based inQatar turned down the Turkish requests to conduct the airstrikes.[9] After the airstrikes, US military officials visited the area in northeastern Syria hit by the attacks and met with the YPG to "de-escalate tensions" as they were "monitoring the developments".[1]
Iraq: TheIraqi Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks in Sinjar as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. The ministry stated that "any operation that is carried out by the Turkish government without any coordination with the Iraqi government is totally rejected.[7]
Iraqi Kurdistan: A statement by theKurdistan Regional Government called the airstrikes in Sinjar "painful and unacceptable". However, the KRG also called on the PKK to withdraw from Sinjar.[9]
Syria: TheForeign and Expatriates Ministry of Syria stated: "Syria denounces in the strongest of terms the blatant aggression carried out by Erdogan's regime on Syrian territory on Tuesday April 25th, 2017, when Turkish warplanes shelled positions in northeast Syria, claiming the lives of scores of innocent Syrian civilians."[10]
Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (DFNS): The airstrikes were condemned byTEV-DEM, the governing coalition of the DFNS, including thePYD. Several opposition parties in the DFNS also denounced the attacks, such as theKDPS/PDKS, thePDPKS, and thePYDKS.[11] On 30 April, theAfrin branch of theKNC (the most prominent opposition group in the DFNS) released a statement condemning the airstrikes and other Turkish attacks in northern Syria. "We condemn and denounce the Turkish aggression and demand the government of Ankara to stop the [attacks] immediately, we also ask PYD (Democratic Union Party) authorities to change its approach and authoritarian behavior and move towards a national and responsible approach to serve the unity of the Kurds and the Kurdish project in the face of challenges and serious risks in the present time and in the future for our Kurdish people", the council stated.[12]
.svg)
