Click to see full-size image. Source: the Hawar News Agency (ANHA).
On June 9, a Russian service member was killed and three others were wounded in a landmine blast in northeastern Syria.
The incident took place near the Turkish-occupied village of al-Assadiyah in northern al-Hasakah. A Russian military unit was patrolling the frontline separating Turkish forces from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) when one of its vehicles was hit by the landmine.
According to the Hawar News Agency, the body of the Russian service member who was killed in the blast was moved to the al-Darbasiyah hospital.
The landmine blast may have been the result of a planned attack. Turkey’s proxies launch attacks in the area on a regular basis. ISIS cells are also known to be active in northern al-Hasakah.
The Ministry of Defense of Russia has not commented on the incident, so far. Meanwhile, the SDF is yet to provide any additional information.
Several units of the Russian Military Police were deployed in northeastern Syria to monitor the ceasefire between Turkish forces and the SDF in 2019. If the death of a Russian service member is officially confirmed, al-Assadiyah blast would be Russian forces first fatal incident in the region.
