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A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 21 october 2019
Kurds evacuate Syrian town in 1st pullout of cease-fire
By MEHMET GUZEL "We now have no fighters
BASSEM MROUE inside the city," he said. The
Associated Press pullout elsewhere had not
AKCAKALE, Turkey (AP) — yet begun, he added.
Dozens of vehicles rolled The Kurds had been holed
out of a besieged Syrian up for days in a small pock-
border town, evacuating et on the southern edge
Kurdish fighters and civil- of the city, surrounded by
ians and opening the way the Turkish-backed fighters
for Turkish-backed forces and engaged in clashes
to take over in the first pull- well after the start of the
back under a three-day- cease-fire. The SDF said
old U.S.-brokered cease- 16 of its fighters had been
fire. Kurdish officials say the killed and three wounded
evacuation of the town of the past 24 hours.
Ras al-Ayn will be followed Both sides accuse each
by a withdrawal of their other of repeatedly vio-
forces from a broader sec- lating the three-day old
tion of the border with Tur- cease-fire. Turkey's Defense
key, a central requirement Ministry said one of its sol-
of the cease-fire deal. diers was killed Sunday in
The withdrawal is supposed a Kurdish attack with anti-
to take place before Tues- tank weapons and small
day evening, when the In this Friday, Oct. 18, 2019 photo, Turkish-backed Syrian opposition fighters ride atop their armored arms fire near the border
pause in fighting is set to personnel carrier to cross the border into Syria, in Akcakale, Sanliurfa province, southeastern town of Tal Abyad.
end. Still, questions remain Turkey. Khalil, the official in the
Associated Press Kurdish-led forces, said that
over longer-term arrange- the convoy as well, fear- after the Ras al-Ayn evacu-
ments. Turkey says it wants ing atrocities by the Turkish- ation, the forces will with-
a "safe zone" clear of the backed Syrian forces. Those draw from a zone about
Kurdish fighters — whom it fighters, who are Arab and 120 kilometers (75 miles)
considers terrorists — across often Islamist extremists, wide and 30-kilometers (20
the entire northeast border. have been accused of miles) deep between Ras
That is far longer than the killings of Kurdish civilians al-Ayn and the town of Tal
territory the Kurds will leave and captured fighters dur- Abyad further west.
under the terms of the deal. ing this campaign and in That area has been the
The Trump administration other Syrian territory seized main theater of fighting
negotiated the accord af- in Turkish campaigns since during the offensive, caus-
ter heavy criticism at home 2017. ing the flight of tens of thou-
and abroad that it had That flight of civilians is likely sands of civilians — Arab
opened the way for the to be repeated in other ar- and Kurd — from the villag-
Turkish invasion by abruptly eas the fighters withdraw es that dot the landscape.
removing its soldiers from from, though most have At least 160,000 civilians
northeast Syria. That move already fled their homes in have been displaced by
abandoned the Kurdish- the past days of fighting. the Turkish assault.
led force, which was allied Turkish TV showed a line of Significant issues remain
with the Americans in the vehicles driving through over the arrangements at
bloody, years-long cam- agricultural areas out of the border.
paign that brought down town Sunday. The Turkish A previous agreement be-
the Islamic State group's military said at least 86 ve- tween the U.S. and Turkey
rule over nearly a third of hicles were involved. The over a "safe zone" along
Syria. convoys passed through the Syria-Turkish border
For the moment, the pull- corridors opened by Turk- foundered over the diverg-
back focused on Ras al- ish-backed forces and ing definitions of the area.
Ayn, a town that has been headed to the town of Tal Erdogan has said the Kurd-
a major battle zone since Tamr further south. ish fighters must withdraw
Turkey launched its inva- A senior official in the Kurd- from the entire northeast-
sion Oct. 9. ish-led forces, Redur Khalil, ern border from the Eu-
The cease-fire deal only told the Associated Press phrates River to the Iraqi
calls for fighters to leave. the evacuation was com- border, more than 440 kilo-
But Kurdish civilians fled in pleted in the afternoon. meters (260 miles).q
