Illustrative image.
The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) continues to deploy reinforcements in areas held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria.
On July 16, the army deployed six 2S1 Gvozdika 122 mm self-propelled howitzers and some 200 troops in the area of al-Awsajli near the town of Manbij in the northern Aleppo countryside. The reinforcements arrived in a convoy that was escorted by Russian military helicopters.
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- Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
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- Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
The Soviet-made Gvozdika howitzer has an effective firing range of more than 15 kilometers and can fire up to five rounds per minutes.
Click to see full-size image.
Manbij is one of two towns named by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the main targets of any new Turkish military operation against the SDF in northern Syria, with the other town being Tell Rifaat that is also located in the northern Aleppo countryside.
Click to see full-size map. Source: (@Suriyakmaps) on Twitter, Via Google Maps – TerraMetrics.
Click to see full-size map. Source: (@Suriyakmaps) on Twitter, Via Google Maps – TerraMetrics.
In response to Turkey’s threats, the SAA expanded its military presence around the two towns in the last few weeks under a new agreement with the SDF.
The SAA presence in SDF-held areas is meant to deter Turkey. The SDF hopes that army troops will fight side by side with their fighters and provide the fire power needed to stop any new Turkish operation. In a recent press conference, the group’s Commander-in-Chief, Ferhat Abdi Sahin, said that the Turkish military and its proxies will not be facing the SDF only, but also the SAA.
Russia has already warned Turkey that a new operation against the SDF could lead to a military confrontation with Damascus. A Russian-Iranian-Turkish meeting will be held in Tehran on July 19, where President Vladimir Putin and President Ebrahim Raisi will reportedly try to persuade President Erdogan to abandon his military plans.
