Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 9 october 2017

Turkey shells Syria’s northern Idlib province

By SARAH EL DEEB an exchange of messages
ZEYNEP BILGINSOY with The Associated Press.
Associated Press The Britain-based Syrian
BEIRUT (AP) — Turkish forces Observatory for Human
on Sunday shelled areas Rights said Turkish shells fell
along its border with Syria’s near a displaced people’s
northwestern province, camp along the border,
an area dominated by al- causing a panic but no
Qaida-linked militants, as casualties. The Observa-
Turkey’s president says an tory said the shelling was
operation in the area to followed by brief clashes
enforce a “de-escalation” and the lobbing of mis-
zone was underway “with- siles as tension continued.
out problems.” The Observatory also said
Speaking Sunday, Presi- al-Qaida-linked militants
dent Recep Tayyip Erdo- have deployed new fight-
gan said the de-escalation ers to the area where the
zones would be applied in brief clashes occurred, in
Idlib with “Russia outside, Kafr Lusin village, along the
Turkey inside” with Syrian border.
opposition fighters it backs. The Observatory and an-
“The process, which be- other activist-operated
gan with a step yesterday news service, Thiqa, mean-
and started to be applied This photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets, which has been authenticated while reported that what
based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Civil Defense workers and Syrian citizens
this morning, is continuing gathering after an airstrike hit a market in Maaret al-Numan in southern Idlib, Syria, Sunday, Oct. appeared to be Turkish
as you know and that ef- 8, 2017. Activists and residents of Maaret al-Numan in southern Idlib said the airstrike in the town’s troops have entered Syria
fort is continuing in a calm market, killed and wounded several people. in a number of vehicles
way without problems” Er- (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP) to deploy at an area be-
dogan said, speaking in responded with shells after after Turkey’s president an- country. tween Idlib and Aleppo
the western province of coming under attack from nounced that his country Sejari said the operation province. The reports say
Afyonkarahisar at the clos- al-Qaida-linked fighters has launched a “serious” aims to deploy Turkish- Turkish forces were es-
ing ceremony of his ruling across the border. Turkey’s operation in Syria’s north- backed opposition fighters corted by al-Qaida-linked
party’s conference. private Dogan news agen- western Idlib province with in the province currently militants to Darat al-Ezzah
Earlier Sunday, Mustafa cy reported that Turkey Turkey-backed Syrian op- dominated by al-Qaida- area, which is only miles
Sejari, spokesman for a Tur- fired seven howitzer rounds position forces, following linked militants. from Afrin, a Kurdish domi-
key-backed Syrian armed into Idlib on Sunday. international efforts for de- “So far our forces have not nated enclave in western
group, said Turkish artillery The tension came a day escalation in the war-torn entered Idlib,” Sejari said in Syria. q
Thousands of migrants found trapped amid Libya fighting

CAIRO (AP) — Thousands es over the past two weeks. man for Anti-ISIS Operation Federation, said 1,700 mi- “We the people in Sabratha
of migrants have been Hundreds were killed in the Room. The group is now in grants were found at the were only tools in the hands
found trapped in camps fighting and officials said control of the city of Sa- western edge of Sabratha, of Europeans,” he said.The
in Libya the past days after that it was triggered by bratha. which used to be under deal with Italy led to a dra-
they were caught amid the an Italian deal with one of Graisia accused the al-Am- control of al-Ammu, while matic drop in migration
fighting over the northwest- the rival militias to stem the mu militia — which struck a the rest were scattered from Sabratha but some
ern city of Sabratha, offi- flow of migrants from Libya deal with Italy and Libya to elsewhere. He said al-Am- in Libya feared the salaries
cials said Sunday. across the Mediterranean. stop trafficking — of storing mu intended to deport the and supplies would enrich
Sabratha, a city on the Over 4,000 migrants, in- the migrants to smuggle migrants. the militias and make them
western side of Libya’s cluding pregnant women them later. It wasn’t imme- The city is now “healing its more powerful. The boost to
Mediterranean coast that and children, were found in diately possible to reach al- wounds” after the fight- one side threw off the bal-
used to be the main launch- the past two days in differ- Ammu for comment. ing shattered families ance of power in Sabratha,
ing point for migrant boats, ent locations in town, said Essam Karrar, the head of and brothers raised guns triggering a backlash from
has witnessed heavy clash- Saleh Graisia, the spokes- the Sabratha Civil Society against each other. other local militias.q