The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Tuesday that it had launched retaliatory attacks in response to an airstrike near the northern Syrian city of Kobane, which it blamed on Turkey. The strike reportedly killed nine members of a single family on Monday. Turkey has denied responsibility for the attack.

In a statement, the SDF said its forces conducted targeted operations against Turkish military bases and allied mercenary positions on multiple fronts. “Our forces inflicted severe damage on the enemy, particularly west of the Qere Qozaq bridge,” the statement read, though it noted that the exact number of casualties among Turkish-backed forces remained unconfirmed.

The SDF accused Turkey of carrying out the airstrike south of Kobane, a city of symbolic importance to Kurdish forces. Kobane gained international attention in 2015 when Kurdish fighters, backed by the U.S.-led coalition, successfully repelled an Islamic State (ISIS) assault.

Turkey, however, denied involvement in the attack. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Turkey’s communications directorate dismissed the allegations as “not true,” emphasizing that its military operations are conducted with “utmost sensitivity” to avoid harming civilians. “The aim of the operations is to neutralize terrorist elements,” the statement added.

The SDF, a key U.S. ally in the fight against ISIS, has repeatedly accused Turkey and its allied Syrian National Army (SNA) of escalating attacks in northern Syria. Earlier in March, the SDF reported intensified assaults on strategic locations, including the Tishreen Dam and Qere Qozaq bridge.

On Monday, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi called on Syria’s interim government to “bear its responsibility” for the attack on the family. The incident has further strained tensions in the region, where clashes between the SDF and Turkish-backed forces have persisted despite a reported U.S.-brokered ceasefire last month. Turkey denied agreeing to the ceasefire, and fighting has continued.

Ankara considers the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), a core component of the SDF, to be a terrorist organization linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state. The YPG, however, has been a critical U.S. partner in the fight against ISIS, particularly during the defense of Kobane in 2015.

The latest escalation underscores the complex and volatile dynamics in northern Syria, where multiple actors, including the SDF, Turkey, and its proxies, continue to vie for control amid ongoing tensions and conflicting alliances.