Operation Featherweight: Month 51, Week 2, Day 7.

This is really a continuation of Monday's post; https://watchitdie.blogspot.com/2018/09/operation-featherweight-month-51-week-2.html

As they fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continue to be attacked by irregular Turkish forces within Shangri-La. Specifically the Eruption Movement/Harakat al-Qiyam (HAQ) group.

Harakat al-Qiyam started life as the Army of Revolutionaries/Jaish al-Thuwar. A fragment of the long defunct Free Syrian Army (FSA) trained by Combined Joint Taskforce: Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTFOIR) at the Bobby Sands base near al-Tanf.

When the Syrians liberated al-Tanf back in July 2017 all CJTFOIR nations with the exception of the US abandoned the Bobby Sands base. Despite continuing to operate at the base the US scaled back their presence transferring most of the FSA fragments being trained there to Shangri-La. Including the Army of Revolutionaries.

The plan was that the Army of Revolutionaries would join and fight as part of the SDF coalition. Rather like a different Army of Revolutionaries who have long and successfully fought as part of the SDF.

However as soon as this Army of Revolutionaries arrived in Shangri-La they changed their name to Harakat al-Qiyam and started attacking the SDF. They are funded by and operate under the command of the Turkish National Intelligence Agency (MIT).

On September 6th (6/9/18) HAQ carried out a bomb ambush against the SDF in Manbij. The SDF controlled town which sits right on the western boundary of Shangri-La where the Euphrates enters Syria from Turkey. Two members of the SDF were killed in the attack.

The following day on September 7th (7/9/18) HAQ snipers shot and killed an SDF intelligence officer in Raqqa City.

On September 12th (12/9/18) HAQ carried out another bomb attack in Manbij. HAQ claim that this bombing killed two members of the SDF. However all other sources report that it killed an infant child and seriously wounded its mother.

There is also a suspicion that some of the attacks carried out in and  around Raqqa City which have been claimed by ISIL were in fact carried out by HAQ.

Within Afrin Canton the SDF have continued to resist the ongoing occupation by the regular Turkish military (TSK) and the irregular United Turkmen Army (UTA).

On August 19th (19/8/18) SDF snipers conducted a targeted assassination of a commander in the Levant Front/Jabhat al-Shamiyah brigade of the UTA. Mohammad Arduan was shot and killed in Afrin Canton's Mabata district.

On August 24th (24/8/18) SDF snipers again carried out a targeted assassination of a UTA commander. Khalid al-Taher of the UTA's Levant Legion/Faylaq al-Sham brigade was shot and killed in the Bulbul district of Afrin Canton.

August 29th (29/8/18) was a particularly bloody day for the UTA.

Firstly the SDF conducted a conventional ground assault on a base belonging to the Hamza Division/Furqat al-Hamza brigade of the UTA. The raid which took place close to Biye village in the Sherwa district saw 10 UTA fighters killed.

Later that day the SDF ambushed a vehicle patrol by the UTA's Hamza Division brigade. The ambush which also took place in Sherwa district killed 5 members of the UTA.

Finally that day the SDF ambushed a vehicle patrol by the UTA's Levant Legion brigade on the Biye to Kefr Nebo road. This ambush killed 4 members of the UTA including Faylaq al-Sham commander Khaled al-Abeed.

The following day (30/8/18) the SDF ambushed a vehicle patrol by the UTA's Northern Storm/Asafat al-Shimal brigade in Shara district killing several fighters.

On August 31st (31/8/18) the SDF ambushed a vehicle patrol by an undisclosed brigade of the UTA. This ambush saw 3 members of the UTA killed and 3 others seriously wounded.

On September 1st (1/9/18) the SDF used a hidden roadside bomb to ambush a joint vehicle patrol by the TSK and the UTA within Afrin City itself. This resulted in the deaths of 3 UTA fighters and 3 more seriously wounded.

Amid this troubled period for the UTA September 3rd (3/9/18) marked another particularly bloody day for them.

It began with a conventional ground assault on a base operated by the UTA's Levant Front brigade in Khalta near Afrin City. This raid resulted in the deaths of 6 UTA fighters and significant damage to the base.

Later in the day the SDF ambushed a vehicle patrol by the UTA's Levant Front brigade in Afrin City. This killed 5 members of the UTA including Ahmed Semir Brier. A commander of the 23rd Division FSA fragment. The fact he was commanding a Levant Front patrol is further evidence of how the supposedly Syrian "rebels" are an invasion force operating on behalf of Turkey.

Then the SDF ambushed a vehicle patrol by an undisclosed brigade of the UTA. The ambush which took place in Sherwa district resulted in the deaths of 4 UTA fighters.

Finally on September 3rd (3/9/18) the SDF ambushed a vehicle patrol by the UTA's Levant Brigade/Liwa al-Sham brigade. This ambush near the village of Mariamin  in Sherwa district saw a further 4 members of the UTA killed.

On September 6th (6/9/18) the SDF ambushed a vehicle patrol by the UTA's Levant Front brigade near Dikmedash in Shera district. This succeeded in killing 2 members of the UTA and seriously wounding 2 others.

September 7th (7/8/18) saw the SDF ambush two members of the UTA's Sultan Murad brigade as they were travelling in a vehicle together in Shera district. Both of the fighters were killed outright.

On September 8th (8/9/18) SDF snipers shot and killed a fighter from the UTA's Freeman of the East/Ahrar al-Sharqiya brigade on a road in the Rajo district.

On September 9th (9/8/18) the SDF ambushed a vehicle patrol by the UTA's Faylaq al-Sham in Afrin district. 2 fighters were killed in the ambush.

The success of the SDF is clearly damaging the UTA's morale. On September 7th (7/9/18) it was confirmed these mercenaries have demanded higher pay from Turkey. Particularly when it comes to death and disability benefits.

Previously Turkey would pay between US$2,000 and US$4,000 to any wounded UTA fighter. The families of any UTA fighter killed would receive Turkish citizenship and US$5,500.

In light of the increased danger they face Turkey is now required to pay the relatives of any UTA fighter US$10,000. Plus grant them Turkish citizenship.

Meanwhile Turkey is continuing to conduct attacks against civilian targets in both Afrin Canton and Garvaghy Road. In the hope these attacks will be blamed on the SDF turning the local population against them.

For example on September 5th (5/9/18) a bomb hidden in a motorcycle was detonated in Jarablus which sits on the boundary between Garvaghy Road and Shangri-La. This is a tactic commonly used by the SDF against the TSK and the UTA in Afrin Canton. However this bombing did not target any military unit and there were no casualties.

A much more serious incident occurred on August 31st (31/8/18) in Azaz. This sits on the boundary between Garvaghy Road and Afrin Canton.

A Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) was detonated outside a building housing the headquarters of the Turkish Council. This is the governing authority Turkey has established to administer the areas of Syrian territory under Turkish occupation.

Therefore you would think it would be a prime target for the SDF. If the SDF attacked civilian infrastructure.

However the target of the bomb was not the Turkish Council building. Rather a protest camp established outside by local residents demanding the end of the Turkish occupation.

The attack killed at least one civilian protester and wounded at least 18 other civilians. Both protesters and local residents who happened to be passing by.

19:00 on 19/9/18 (UK date).