The Turkish offensive, called “Euphrates Shield”, involves rebel factions, including Islamic brigades, who were brought from north-western Syrian, through Turkey, to the launching area. Hundreds of Syrian rebel fighters – backed by Turkish tanks, warplanes and special forces – had on Wednesday taken the town of Jarablus to end over three years of jihadi control.
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Turkish forces opened fire on PYD “militants” after intelligence showed they were advancing despite a promise by the United States that the Kurdish militia would retreat, Anadolu reported.
Turkey has been deeply concerned by the advances of the Kurdish forces, fearing they aim to set up a Kurdish entity there.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that the offensive had expelled IS from the Syrian town of Jarabulus, and pro-Ankara rebels reported the jihadists had retreated south to the town of Al-Bab.
Turkish army tanks drive to the Syrian border town of Jarabulus after launching a ground operation for the first time in Syria, on August 25, 2016.
Russian Federation and the US have been informed about the beginning of Turkey’s military operations in Syria, said Fikri Isik, Turkish National Defense Minister, Milliyet newspaper reported on August 25.
“They (Kurdish militia) need to withdraw from the west of the Euphrates as soon as possible and stop trying to expand west of the Euphrates”, said a Turkish official. “No one has the right to ask the YPG to leave the area”, he adds.
According to Turkish ministry officials, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke by telephone on Thursday to discuss the Turkish military operation to retake the ISIS-held border town of Jarablus in northern Syria.
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“The Syrian Democratic Forces have moved east across the Euphrates to prepare for the eventual liberation of Raqqa”, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve wrote on his Twitter feed.
