Turkey has established a systematic practice of targeting NES’ power infrastructure in period airstrike campaigns, usually lasting several days. Amongst Turkey’s key targets is the Suwaydiyah gas and electricity station. This vital station is NES’ only domestic gas bottling plant and a key source of electricity for vital services such as hospitals, mills, bakeries and oil extraction facilities.
On January 14th, Turkey yet again struck Suwaydiyah, having already damaged the station just three months prior with airstrikes. On January 18th, RIC went to Suwaydiyah to photograph the damage. The photographic evidence in this report attest to the severity of the destruction inflicted on this station, which is a crucial humanitarian lifeline for North and East Syria’s population due to the services it provides. The DAANES does not have the economic and logistical capacity to fully restore all infrastructure. What restoration investments it can make are overshadowed by the threat of future repeat Turkish airstrikes.
