The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) accused Turkey of conducting a targeted attack on a vehicle in the city of Kobani (Kobanê) on Wednesday, asserting this as part of a broader strategy to distract from the Turkish government’s internal failures and to undermine regional stability.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Administration condemned the Turkish drone attack which targeted a civilian car in the city of Kobani, northern Syria, in a street crowded with civilians.

The AANES has branded these actions as war crimes, especially amid ongoing operations against the Islamic State (ISIS) cells by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The statement criticised Turkey for its apparent dissatisfaction with the security and stability being established in the region, which counters ISIS. “These gains do not seem to please the powers supporting ISIS, specifically the Turkish state, hence the repeated targeting of our areas,” the AANES stated. It further condemned the attack in Kobani and reaffirmed Turkey’s alleged ongoing efforts to destabilise areas under its governance to facilitate ISIS activities, including attacks on prisons, including Manbij (Minbic).

Calling on all forces committed to stability and the gains made against ISIS to clearly and strongly oppose Turkish aggression, the AANES pointed to the recent events in Moscow as evidence of the correctness of its warnings about the threats posed by ISIS, with Turkey being implicated as a supporting force.

“These developments are extremely serious and underline the need for new challenges to be met with a serious international strategy for cooperation with the Self-Administration and in curbing sources of support for terrorism and extremism,” the statement highlighted.