Reports from northeastern Syria indicate that Turkish drone strikes on Wednesday resulted in the deaths of at least three members of a local Christian force, with several others wounded, including civilians. The force targeted was the local Christian Syriac police known as Sutoro, operating under the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. The strikes occurred near the town of Malikiyah, where three Sutoro vehicles were initially hit, followed by an attack on a fourth vehicle that arrived to assist the casualties.
While Turkey has a history of targeting Kurdish fighters in Syria, attacks on the country's Christian minority have been rare. The Kurdish militia in Syria, known as People’s Defense Units or YPG, is considered by Turkey to be affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK, a banned Kurdish separatist group.
