The Turkish army is attacking civilian settlements around the northern Syrian town of Ain Issa. The bombardments are currently concentrated on the villages of Mişêrfa (Mushairefah) and Siwêdiyê (Suwadiyah). It is not yet clear whether people have been injured. The attacks are continuing at the moment.

The M4 motorway is also affected by the shelling, which started at noon on Friday. The attacks against Mişêrfa in particular are massive. The village a few kilometres northeast of the city centre is regularly attacked by the Turkish army and its jihadist proxy forces. Last Sunday, the military council of Girê Spî (Tal Abyad) had once again foiled an infiltration attempt in Mişêrfa. A capture of the village would isolate Ain Issa to the east.

The town of Ain Issa is located south of occupied Girê Spî on the important east-west highway M4, which runs through northern Syria like a lifeline and is considered a link between the self-governing regions of Euphrates and Cizîrê. Turkey has a great interest in occupying Ain Issa. Attacks in the region have been occurring almost daily since the occupation of Serêkaniyê and Girê Spî in October 2019, with periods of high intensity alternating with periods of low intensity. Many villages in the region have already been destroyed and depopulated. On 8 August, a 26-year-old civilian was injured by Turkish shelling in a village in Ain Issa.