Kurds Strike Deal With Damascus To Fend Off Turkey
In a major shift in alliances, the Kurds in Syria said they have struck a deal with the Syrian regime and its Russian backers to fend off Turkish’s invasion.
The Turkish had launched an offensive into Kurdish-held territory in northern Syria last week it said is aimed at creating a “safe zone” for Syrian refugees by removing the Kurdish-led forces.
Syrian army units were heading north to “face Turkish aggression”, state media reported. The deal came just hours after US President Donald Trump ordered all U.S. troops withdrawn from the northern border area over the “untenable” situation there. Washington left its main ally Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the battle against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) armed group, without US military support, opening the door to the Turkish’s incursion. The move has been widely criticised. More than 100,000 people have fled their homes since the offensive began on Wednesday. A Turkish soldier was also killed and three soldiers were wounded in the heavy clashes between Turkish forces and the SDF, Turkey’s Defence Ministry said. Dozens of fighters from the SDF and pro-Turkish factions have also been killed.
Syrian army units were heading north to “face Turkish aggression”, state media reported. The deal came just hours after US President Donald Trump ordered all U.S. troops withdrawn from the northern border area over the “untenable” situation there. Washington left its main ally Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the battle against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) armed group, without US military support, opening the door to the Turkish’s incursion. The move has been widely criticised. More than 100,000 people have fled their homes since the offensive began on Wednesday. A Turkish soldier was also killed and three soldiers were wounded in the heavy clashes between Turkish forces and the SDF, Turkey’s Defence Ministry said. Dozens of fighters from the SDF and pro-Turkish factions have also been killed.
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