Turkey Syria Offensive: Heavy fighting On Third Day Of Assault
Heavy fighting continues as the Turkish invasion of Kurdish-held territory in northern Syria entered its third day.
Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish fighters terrorists and is targeting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a key US ally in the five-year battle to crush the Islamic State group.
On Friday, Washington said its troops also came under artillery fire from NATO ally Turkey. However, no US troops were hurt in Friday's explosion at the small US outpost. Pressure is building in the US to stop Turkey from continuing its military activity. However, Turkish President Recepì Tayyip Erdogan has said the offensive will continue, aimed at removing the Kurdish-led forces from the border area and creating a “safe zone” so millions of Syrian refugees can be returned. The move came after US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull US troops out of Syria’s border with Turkey. 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.
On Friday, Washington said its troops also came under artillery fire from NATO ally Turkey. However, no US troops were hurt in Friday's explosion at the small US outpost. Pressure is building in the US to stop Turkey from continuing its military activity. However, Turkish President Recepì Tayyip Erdogan has said the offensive will continue, aimed at removing the Kurdish-led forces from the border area and creating a “safe zone” so millions of Syrian refugees can be returned. The move came after US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull US troops out of Syria’s border with Turkey. 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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