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WORLD NEWS Friday 11 OctOber 2019

Turkey presses Syrian assault as thousands flee the fighting

Associated Press Ankara has said it aims to
AKCAKALE, Turkey (AP) — settle 2 million Syrian refu-
Turkish ground forces seized gees, who are mainly Ar-
at least one village from abs, in the zone.
Kurdish fighters in north- Turkey began its offen-
ern Syria as they pressed sive in northern Syria on
ahead with their assault Wednesday with airstrikes
for a second day Thursday, and artillery shelling, and
pounding towns and vil- then ground troops began
lages along the border with crossing the border later in
airstrikes and artillery. the day.
Residents of border areas The Britain-based Syr-
within Syria scrambled in ian Observatory for Human
panic as they tried to es- Rights, which has activ-
cape on foot and in cars, ists throughout Syria, said
pickup trucks and motor- seven civilians have been
cycle rickshaws piled with killed since Turkey began its
mattresses and belongings, operation.
and the U.N. refugee agen- Mustafa Bali, a spokesman
cy said tens of thousands of for the Kurdish-led Syrian
people were on the move. Democratic Forces, said
It was wrenchingly familiar their fighters have repelled
for many who only a few Turkish forces ground at-
years ago had fled the Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to his ruling party officials, in Ankara, Turkey, tacks.
militants of the Islamic State Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019. "No advance as of now,"
group. Associated Press he tweeted Thursday.
The Turkish invasion was But Maj. Youssef Ham-
launched three days after Defense Military said its jets Erdogan also warned the PKK, which has led an in- moud, a spokesman for
U.S. President Donald Trump and artillery had struck 181 European Union not to call surgency against Turkey for Turkish-backed opposition
opened the way by pulling targets so far. More than a Ankara's incursion into Syria 35 years. The conflict has fighters participating in the
American troops from their dozen columns of heavy an "invasion." He threat- killed tens of thousands of operation, said the fight-
positions near the border black smoke rose above ened, as he has in the past, people. The U.S. and oth- ers captured the village
alongside their Kurdish al- one border town. to "open the gates" and let er Western countries also of Yabisa, near the one of
lies. At a time when Trump A Kurdish-led group and Syrian refugees flood into consider the PKK a terrorist the main initial targets of
faces an impeachment in- Syrian activists said that Europe. group. the assault, the town of Tal
quiry, the move drew swift despite the bombard- Meanwhile, the Kurdish Turkey considers its opera- Abyad, a spokesman for
criticism from Republicans ment, Turkish troops had forces halted all operations tions against the Kurdish the fighters said. In a tweet,
and Democrats in Con- not made much progress against IS in order to focus militia in Syria a matter of its he called it "the first village
gress, along with many na- on several fronts they had on fighting Turkish troops, own survival, and it also in- to win freedom."
tional defense experts, who opened. But their claims Kurdish and U.S. officials sists it won't tolerate the vir- Turkey's state-run news
say it has endangered not could not be independent- said. tual self-rule that the Kurds agency said the allied
only the Kurds and regional ly verified, and the situation The Syrian Kurdish fighters, succeeded in carving out Syrian fighters had also
stability but U.S. credibil- was difficult to assess. along with U.S. troops, have in northern Syria along the cleared and entered a
ity as well. The Syrian Kurd- Turkish President Recep been involved in mopping- border. second village, Tel Fander.
ish militia was the only U.S. Tayyip Erdogan said that up operations against IS The Turkish assault aims It did not provide details.
ally in the campaign that so far, 109 "terrorists" were fighters still holed up in the to carve out a corridor of The Observatory said Turk-
brought down the Islamic killed in the offensive, a ref- desert after their territorial control along the length of ish commandos entered
State group in Syria. erence to the Syrian Kurdish hold was toppled earlier the border — a so-called the village of Beir Asheq.
Trump warned Turkey for fighters. He did not elabo- this year. "safe zone" — clearing out The Observatory said more
moderation during its as- rate, and reports from the Ankara considers mem- the Kurdish militia. Such a than 60,000 people have
sault and safeguard civil- area did not indicate any- bers of the Kurdish militia zone would end the Kurds' fled their homes since
ians. But the opening bar- thing remotely close to to be "terrorists" because of autonomy in the area and Wednesday, while the UN-
rage showed little sign of such a large number of ca- their links to the outlawed put much of their popula- HCR estimated it at tens of
holding back: The Turkish sualties. Kurdistan Workers' Party, or tion under Turkish control. thousands. q