The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced that three people, including a child, were killed in Turkey’s drone attacks on North and East Syria on Saturday.

The child who died as a result of the Turkish attacks on a village in the city of Kobanê in northeast Syria was 12 years old.

Noting that Turkey’s attacks targeting civilians and the infrastructure of the region have continued, SDF said that Turkish forces killed 16 civilians in the last month.

Turkey has been conducting intense air strikes on northeast Syria and northern Iraq since 20 November.

However, artillery shelling and drone strikes against Syrian Kurds had become a routine part of life in north and east Syria, where Turkey has launched a series of military offensives against the Kurdish-led autonomous administrations governing the region, long before that date.

Turkey argues that the country is exercising its right of self-defence arising from Article 51 of the United Nations Charter in conducting air strikes against neighbouring countries over targeted groups’ affiliation to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

However, international law experts do not agree with Turkey and say that Turkey’s cross-border military operations are incompatible with international law.