This story begins with a young group of Kurds in Syria resisting attacks by Turkish forces. It ends in flames. What happens in between gives us a rare and intimate look at how two sides fight on a modern battlefield. And it shows just how unaware one side can be to the dangers that are lurking above. We’ve pieced together frontline footage to track the units’ movements over several days, how they targeted advancing forces, and how they may have met their end. But first, how did these fighters end up here? In January, Turkey launched an offensive into Syria’s northwest. It’s mostly a Kurdish area. And Turkey regards certain Kurds as terrorists. The fighters’ license plate is for Afrin, which is a strategic objective of Turkey. Standing in its way is the town of Jinderes, a crucial junction. This is where we located the Kurdish fighters. You can see that over time, Turkish and Allied ground forces close in on Jinderes. They’re already overhead. This edited drone footage was released by Turkey. And along with other video, it helps us analyze the Kurds’ defensive of Jinderes. They’re using an M40-series 106-millimeter recoilless rifle. It’s a pre-Vietnam War weapon and relatively simple to use. It’s most accurate when the gun’s crew can visually identify their target. But this crew seems to be firing towards targets they can’t see, elevating the barrel to shoot over buildings that block their view. That kind of indiscriminate fire can risk civilian casualties. On Feb. 10, we located the Kurds’ position and determine their direction of fire. They’re firing towards a town that had just been taken over by Turkish-backed forces. Two days later, the Kurdish fighters moved their position, and they shifted fire in this direction. Again, it corresponds with territory the enemy had just gained after days of heavy fighting. It seems the Kurds are keenly aware of the closing threat. The drone tracks them to a garage and identifies the target. The building is hit from above. Kurdish forces say the gun crew was killed. But there’s one more thing. Remember, this drone video was released as propaganda. It shows a precise strike, no collateral damage. But that rarely happens. Civilians have been killed in other Turkish strikes. And human rights organizations say some of these may be unlawful. And the Kurds have fired at civilian areas, too. And as the Turkish offensive moves towards more urban areas, the fighting is likely to get even more complex.