Al-Jazeera correspondent in northern Syria reported this morning, Tuesday, that the Turkish artillery intensively bombed the positions of the "Syrian Democratic Forces" in Tal Rifaat, Sheikh Issa, and the vicinity of the city of Ain al-Arab (Kobani), where Turkey pledged to take revenge on the Kurdish units, which it describes as terrorist.
The shelling was renewed as part of the Turkish military operation, which was launched at dawn on Sunday under the name "Claw-Sword", after Turkey pledged to avenge the killing of two people, following the fall of shells on the border area of Qaraqemish in the Turkish state of Gaziantep on Monday.
Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu said that the rockets hit a neighborhood in Karkamish, killing a child and a teacher, and injuring 6 people, including a pregnant woman who was seriously injured.
The Turkish army launched Operation "Claw-Sword" against the bases of Kurdish militants in northern Syria and Iraq, in response to the bombing that took place on Istiklal Street in central Istanbul on November 13, which claimed the lives of 6 people.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Monday that the military leaders are considering sending ground forces into the operation, which was met with calls from Russia and the United States to stop the escalation.
Russian comment
Russian news agencies quoted the Russian envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, as saying, "We will call on our Turkish colleagues to show a degree of restraint in order to prevent an escalation of tension, not only in the northern and northeastern regions of Syria, but throughout the region."
Lavrentiev said - at the start of the Astana talks on Syria today - that Turkey did not inform Russia in advance of its strikes in Syria and Iraq.
"We hope to convince our Turkish partners to refrain from using excessive force on Syrian territory," he added, noting that Moscow will work with the concerned parties to find a peaceful solution to the "Kurdish issue."
The TASS news agency also quoted Lavrentiev as saying that the withdrawal of US forces from northeastern Syria would contribute to stabilizing the situation.
On the other hand, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement that the United States urges the non-escalation of violence in Syria.
Price mentioned that Washington demanded that Ankara not carry out a military operation in Syria.
He added that his country also still opposes "any uncoordinated military action in Iraq that violates its sovereignty" or destabilizes Syria.
The results of the Turkish operation
Earlier, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar announced that the army had managed to "neutralize 184 terrorists" since the launch of the "claw-sword" operation against the positions of the Kurdish units and the PKK in northern Syria and Iraq.
Akar said that Turkish forces destroyed 89 targets, including bunkers, caves, tunnels and warehouses, in the first phase of the operation.
On the other hand, a spokesman for the "Syrian Democratic Forces", which consists mainly of the Kurdish People's Protection Units, said that the Turkish attacks destroyed grain silos, a power station and a hospital, and killed 11 civilians, a fighter in those forces and two guards.
He added that their forces would retaliate.
Reuters news agency quoted a source in the "Syrian Democratic Forces" as saying that Turkey attacked on Monday a site of the Syrian regime forces west of Ayn al-Arab (Kobani), where there is a military barracks of the Kurdish units.
The agency stated that this site is among several sites where the Syrian regime forces are stationed to prevent the Turks from attacking the "Syrian Democratic Forces".