Turkey Sets Up Two New Military Bases in Northern Syria

Date: 03 December 2019 - 21:19

News ID: ۷۳۴۵۳

ANKARA (Dispatches) – The Turkish Army has set up two new military headquarters in the surrounding areas of Ras al-Ein in northeastern Syria, the Arabic-language media outlets reported.

The Arabic-language al-Akhbarieh news network reported that the Turkish Army has built two more military centers in the villages of al-Toulan and al-Kanhir in the countryside of Ras al-Ein in Hasaka province.

Ras al-Ein is located in northwestern Hasaka province and 85 kilometers from the city of Hasakah and near the border with Turkey.

In a relevant development in late October, clashes erupted between the Syrian Army units deployed in Ras al-Ein and Turkish occupation forces, which attacked the area during army’s deployment.

The clashes erupted as the Syrian Army units advanced from the direction of Tal Tamr in the northern countryside of Hasaka towards the Turkish border, and deployed in the villages in the southeastern countryside of Ras al-Ein, reducing the distance to the Turkish border to few kilometers.

Meanwhile, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) says Turkish-backed militants are plundering historical artifacts in Syria’s northwestern province of Aleppo and smuggling them over the border to sell in Turkey.

The Britain-based war monitor group, citing reliable sources requesting anonymity, reported on Tuesday that the militants have been systematically looting antiquities in the Afrin district, particularly in the city of al-Nabi Hori – also known as Korsh -- ever since Turkish military forces and their Syrian proxies launched an operation to push Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militants away from a "safe zone” along Syria's border with Turkey.

The SOHR highlighted that Turkish-affiliated militants, namely members of the so-called Soqoor al-Shamal terror group, have been carrying out indiscriminate excavations by heavy machinery in the area, seriously damaging cultural layers at numerous archaeological deposits.

The operations have also led to the destruction of fragile historical artifacts such as glassware, porcelain ware, pottery and mosaic paintings.

On November 6, 2019, a worker at an illegal excavation site posted on Facebook pictures of three mosaics and other artifacts.

"The publisher made no mention of the location of the paintings or the identity of people shown in the picture. The paintings, nevertheless, strongly indicated that they have been recovered from a mountainous site controlled by Turkish-backed militants.