A host of British volunteers are now in Syria battling depraved Islamic State jihadis as part of US-backed People’s Protection Unit (YPG), which has been considered a terrorist group by Turkey.
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In a statement, the military said Turkish artillery had hit positions in the Zavgar and Kulliyah regions from 9.30 a.m. local time (0630 GMT) on Tuesday.
The villages are situated west of the border town of Jarablus, which was retaken by Turkey-backed Syrian rebels last week.
“At the moment, they are saying the YPG has crossed (the Euphrates)”, Erdogan said.
Erdogan also said Turkey wants to establish a “safe zone” on the Syrian border, though other world powers have not backed the idea.
An Associated Press reporter in Moadamiyeh says security forces searched the luggage of dozens of men, women, and children before they boarded buses Friday, heading out of the suburb to shelters in a government-controlled neighborhood nearby.
The group also claimed to have carried out a suicide auto bombing against Turkish-backed rebels in the same area and said it had killed “dozens” of Turkish soldiers and Turkish-backed rebels. US officials have urged Ankara to focus its attacks on the Islamist militants instead.
Turkish troops clashed with the USA -backed Kurdish Syrian forces around Jarablus to try to halt their advance and form a contiguous corridor on the border between Turkey and Syria.
“This might not appear something of immediate worry for the United States but is an existential issue for the Turks”, Kanli said. Turkey has been building a wall along its border with Syria since 2014.
Turkey then sent its troops, aiding Syrian rebels to move in on the next IS-held town, across it borders, prompting clashes between the two US -allies and raising concerns they would distract from the fight against IS.
The EU and the US don’t support the proposal, saying they want Syria to remain unified.
Turkey sees the YPG as an offshoot of the rebel Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is waging a bloody insurgency against security forces in Turkey’s southeast.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry says the two discussed current developments in Syria, the delivery of humanitarian aid and efforts to restart peace talks.
Turkey has demanded that the YPG cross the Euphrates river into a Kurdish-controlled canton in Syria’s northeast.
Besides withdrawing from the Jarablus area, the Kurdish fighters have also pulled out from the strategic town of Manbij and out of other embattled areas west of the Euphrates, said Mr.
The Kurdish-backed Jarablus Military Council said in a statement Tuesday it had agreed to a cease-fire following consultations with the US -led coalition.
Although the United States supported Turkey’s onslaught in Syria against ISIS, it is alarmed by the country’s offensive against the Kurdish forces and has asked Ankara to exclusively focus its assault on the Islamic State.
The United States has voiced concerns about Turkish strikes on Kurdish-aligned groups that Washington has backed in its battle against Islamic State.
The incursion occurred about 55km (34 miles) southwest of Jarablus, where Turkey last week launched its first major incursion into Syria since the conflict began.
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The Turkish Armed Forces responded to the rockets with howitzers, striking two weapons pits and bunkers, and “destroying the locations and the Daesh terrorists there”, Anadolu said, referring to IS by an Arabic acronym.
