People living in the region have been caught up not only in Syria’s ongoing civil war but also in Turkey’s conflict with Kurdish-led forces, who established the AANES in 2018 after they – with support from the US-led coalition – drove the Islamic State (IS) group out of the region. Coalition forces are still stationed there to prevent a resurgence of IS.
Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has described the AANES – which is not officially recognised by the international community – as a “terror state” next to its border.
The Turkish government considers the Kurdish militia that dominates the main military force there to be an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) rebel group, which has fought for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey for decades.
The PKK is designated as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the EU, the UK and the US.
Between October 2023 and January 2024, electricity transfer stations in three areas of the AANES were struck: Amouda, Qamishli, and Darbasiyah, as well as the region’s main power plant, Swadiyah.
The BBC confirmed the damage by using satellite imagery, eyewitness videos, news reports, and visits to the sites.
Satellite imagery of night-time lights from before and after the January 2024 attacks indicated a widespread power outage. “On January 18th…. a significant power outage is evident in the region,” said Ranjay Shrestha, a scientist at Nasa who reviewed the imagery.
