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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 15 OcTOber 2019

Syrian army moves north, raising fears of clash with Turkey

By MEHMET GUZEL was ready to begin the as-
BASSEM MROUE sault Manbij, with a goal of
Associated Press returning the city to Arab
AKCAKALE, Turkey (AP) — populations that he said
Syrian government troops were its rightful owners.
moved into towns and vil- The flashpoint area housed
lages in northern Syria on U.S. troops who patrolled
Monday, setting up a po- the region since 2017 to
tential clash with Turkish-led deter a confrontation be-
forces advancing in the tween Turkey and Kurdish
area as long-standing alli- fighters. A U.S. official said
ances in the region begin troops were still in Manbij,
to shift or crumble following preparing to leave.
the pullback of U.S. forces. Speaking later in Baku,
The Syrian military's deploy- Azerbaijan, Erdogan said
ment near the Turkish bor- Turkey's military offensive
der came after Syrian Kurd- into northeast Syria is as
ish forces previously allied "vital" to Turkey as its 1974
with the U.S. said they had military intervention in Cy-
reached a deal with Presi- prus, which split the island.
dent Bashar Assad's gov- Erdogan also made clear
ernment to help them fend Turkey would not halt its of-
off Turkey's invasion, now in fensive despite the wide-
its sixth day. People ride motorcycles and hold a Syrian flag and a portrait of Syrian President Bashar Assad as spread condemnation.
Assad's return to the region they welcome Syrian troops as they enter the village of Ghebesh, west of the town of Tal Tamr, in The military action by An-
his troops abandoned in northern Syria, Monday, Oct 14, 2019. kara sets up a potential
2012 at the height of the Associated Press clash between Turkey and
Syrian civil war is a turning Syria and raises the specter
point in Syria's eight-year 130,000 people. with Russians since the start, Raqqa aboard buses and of a resurgent Islamic State
civil war, giving yet another Abandoned in the middle and he made his com- pickup trucks with mount- group as the U.S. relinquish-
major boost to his govern- of the battlefield, the Kurds ments in an interview with ed machine guns. Troops es any remaining influence
ment and its Russian back- turned to Assad and Rus- The Associated Press. moved into the towns of Tal in northern Syria to Assad
ers and is like to endanger, sia for protection and an- Syrian state media broad- Tamr, about 20 kilometers and his chief backer, Rus-
if not altogether crush, the nounced Sunday night cast repeated footage of (12 miles) from the Turkish sia.
brief experiment in self-rule that Syrian government government forces enter- border, Ein Issa and Tabqa, Turkey warned its NATO al-
set up by Syria's Kurds since troops would be deployed ing northern towns and vil- known for its dam on the Eu- lies in Europe and the Unit-
the conflict began. in Kurdish-controlled towns lages with residents chant- phrates River and a nearby ed States not to stand in its
The fast-deteriorating situ- and villages along the bor- ing slogans in support of air base of the same name. way.
ation was set in motion last der with Turkey to help re- Assad, while others rushed Syrian fighters backed by The European Union unani-
week, when U.S. President pel Turkish advances. to hug the soldiers. In a Turkey said they began an mously condemned Tur-
Donald Trump ordered Kurdish official Aldar Khalil northern village, residents offensive alongside Turkish key's military move and
American troops in northern said in a statement that welcomed the troops by troops to capture the Kurd- asked all 28 of its member
Syria to step aside, clearing the aim of the agreement showering them with rice, ish-held town of Manbij, states to stop selling arms
the way for an attack by is for Syrian troops to be de- an Arab gesture of wel- on the western flank of the to Ankara, Spanish Foreign
Turkey, which regards the ployed along the border, come. In another village, Euphrates. Mustafa Sejari, Minister Josep Borrell told
Kurdish fighters as terrorists. except for the area be- dozens of young men an official with the Turkey- the AP.
Since 2014, the Kurds have tween the towns of Ras al- rode motorcycles as some backed fighters, tweeted: In Moscow, Kremlin spokes-
fought alongside the U.S. in Ayn and Tal Abyad, where waved posters of Assad. "The battle of Manbij has man Dmitry Peskov told
defeating the Islamic State Turkish troops are advanc- "We are going back to our begun." reporters that Russian and
in Syria, and Trump's move ing. He added that the normal positions that are Turkey's private NTV televi- Turkish officials have re-
was decried at home and autonomous authority will at the border," said a Syr- sion reported that Turkish mained in close contact.
abroad as a betrayal of an continue to run daily affairs ian officer, as embattled special forces and com- Russia appeared to be
ally. in northeast Syria. Kurdish authorities invited mandos began advanc- working on de-confliction
In the past five days, Turkish "There is an understanding the government to retake ing toward Manbij in the between Turkish and Syr-
troops and their allies have between SDF and Damas- towns and villages in the afternoon. CNN-Turk also ian troops. Erdogan has
pushed into northern towns cus — a military agreement north. mentioned the attack, re- already said Turkey will not
and villages, clashing with only," said Badran Ciya "May God protect the porting that the sound of negotiate with the Syrian
the Kurdish fighters over Kurd, a senior Kurdish of- army!" residents respond- clashes could be heard. Kurdish fighters, saying they
a stretch of 200 kilome- ficial, referring to the Kurd- ed. Turkish President Recep have links to a long-running
ters (125 miles). The offen- ish-led Syrian Democratic The Syrian troops arrived in Tayyip Erdogan signaled Kurdish insurgency within its
sive has displaced at least Forces. He has been in talks the northern province of earlier in the day his military own borders.q