Turkish drone strike in north Syria: Children among injured

Seven civilians including two children were severely injured by a Turkish drone strike on Thursday in the city of Tell Rifat, north Syria, according to a report by UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

SOHR said the attack in Tell Rifat was the sixth in a series of drone strikes carried out by Turkish forces since early July.

The incident and number of casualties were confirmed by Hawar News Agency (ANHA) as it put the number of injured children at five.

According to ANHA's report, the injured children have been identified as five-year old Dina Osman, six-year-old Mehmed Xerib Mamo, seven-year-old Hisen Jamal Qasim, 13-year-old Avrin Abdurahman Haydar and 15-year-old Arivan Mihemed Ebdo.

A medical source in the Tell Rifaat Hospital told North Press Agency that one of the children is in a critical condition.  

“A shrapnel penetrated the child’s skull, which puts his life at risk, so he will be transferred to Aleppo,” the source said.

Tell Rifat, alongside the town of Manbij, has been declared primary target by Turkish officials in the context of a possible Turkish incursion into the region.

The city, located 35 km north of Aleppo, has been a shelter for the displaced people of Afrin following Turkish occupation in 2018 that resulted in the displacement of about 300,000.