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AFP
Ras al-Ain
Turkey launched an assault on Kurdish positions in northern Syria on Wednesday with air strikes and explosions reported near the border. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the start of the attack on Twitter, labelling it “Operation Peace Spring”.
Moments later, a cloud of white smoke rose over the Ras al-Ain border area, a correspondent said, adding that warplanes could be seen flying overhead. “Our mission is to prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border, and to bring peace to the area,” Erdogan wrote, adding that the operation would target Kurdish militants and the Islamic State group (IS).
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, reported that Turkish air strikes had hit the Ras al-Ain area. Turkey’s Anadolu news agency reported shelling of Kurdish militant positions in the border town of Tal Abyad.
Syria’s Kurds called up civilians on Wednesday to defend against the assault, while President Donald Trump insisted the United States had not abandoned its Kurdish allies who were a crucial ally against IS. Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Erdogan to “think carefully” before any offensive in a phone call.
But Ankara says the assault is necessary to curb the power of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) due to their ties with Kurdish insurgents inside Turkey. Turkey also wants a “safe zone” on the Syrian side of the border where it could send back some of the 3.6 million refugees it hosts from the eight-year civil war.
“We announce three days of general mobilisation in northern and eastern Syria,” Kurdish authorities in northern Syria said, urging all civilians to “head to the border with Turkey... to resist during this delicate historical moment”.
They said they would hold their erstwhile US ally and the whole international community responsible for any “humanitarian catastrophe” that unfolds.
In Ras al-Ain, Kurdish-led security forces set up new checkpoints and stockpiled tyres to set alight to blur the vision of Turkish military pilots, a correspondent reported.
Ras al-Ain was one of the places from which US troops withdrew on Monday. Kurdish authorities in the town called for protesters to gather at the border later on Wednesday and hoisted flags on tents.
Kurdish forces have dug trenches and tunnels in both areas, covering streets with metal canopies to block the cameras of Turkish drones. Senior Republican senator Lindsey Graham addressed a tweet to the Turkish government saying, “You do NOT have a green light to enter into northern Syria.
“There is massive bipartisan opposition in Congress, which you should see as a red line you should not cross.” There has also been a chorus of international concern, including from US allies. French President Emmanuel Macron is “very worried” about the planned Turkish operation, an aide said on Wednesday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Iraqi Kurdish leaders he met earlier this week had voiced deep concern about the risks of the mixed signals from Trump.
“They are extremely alarmed that such a lightweight treatment of this extremely delicate subject could ignite the entire region,” Lavrov said.
The Kurds called on Moscow on Wednesday to facilitate dialogue with Damascus.
Ras al-Ain
Turkey launched an assault on Kurdish positions in northern Syria on Wednesday with air strikes and explosions reported near the border. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the start of the attack on Twitter, labelling it “Operation Peace Spring”.
Moments later, a cloud of white smoke rose over the Ras al-Ain border area, a correspondent said, adding that warplanes could be seen flying overhead. “Our mission is to prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border, and to bring peace to the area,” Erdogan wrote, adding that the operation would target Kurdish militants and the Islamic State group (IS).
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, reported that Turkish air strikes had hit the Ras al-Ain area. Turkey’s Anadolu news agency reported shelling of Kurdish militant positions in the border town of Tal Abyad.
Syria’s Kurds called up civilians on Wednesday to defend against the assault, while President Donald Trump insisted the United States had not abandoned its Kurdish allies who were a crucial ally against IS. Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Erdogan to “think carefully” before any offensive in a phone call.
But Ankara says the assault is necessary to curb the power of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) due to their ties with Kurdish insurgents inside Turkey. Turkey also wants a “safe zone” on the Syrian side of the border where it could send back some of the 3.6 million refugees it hosts from the eight-year civil war.
“We announce three days of general mobilisation in northern and eastern Syria,” Kurdish authorities in northern Syria said, urging all civilians to “head to the border with Turkey... to resist during this delicate historical moment”.
They said they would hold their erstwhile US ally and the whole international community responsible for any “humanitarian catastrophe” that unfolds.
In Ras al-Ain, Kurdish-led security forces set up new checkpoints and stockpiled tyres to set alight to blur the vision of Turkish military pilots, a correspondent reported.
Ras al-Ain was one of the places from which US troops withdrew on Monday. Kurdish authorities in the town called for protesters to gather at the border later on Wednesday and hoisted flags on tents.
Kurdish forces have dug trenches and tunnels in both areas, covering streets with metal canopies to block the cameras of Turkish drones. Senior Republican senator Lindsey Graham addressed a tweet to the Turkish government saying, “You do NOT have a green light to enter into northern Syria.
“There is massive bipartisan opposition in Congress, which you should see as a red line you should not cross.” There has also been a chorus of international concern, including from US allies. French President Emmanuel Macron is “very worried” about the planned Turkish operation, an aide said on Wednesday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Iraqi Kurdish leaders he met earlier this week had voiced deep concern about the risks of the mixed signals from Trump.
“They are extremely alarmed that such a lightweight treatment of this extremely delicate subject could ignite the entire region,” Lavrov said.
The Kurds called on Moscow on Wednesday to facilitate dialogue with Damascus.
