Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he's worried Turkey's campaign in Syria will lead to the resurgence of the Islamic State group.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he’s worried Turkey’s campaign in Syria will lead to the resurgence of the Islamic State group.
The Australian leader said Trump’s move was “a U.S. matter” and that it was Turkey’s actions to cross the border and deploy in another nation that were Australia’s concerns.U.S. officials say two captive British militants believed to be part of an Islamic State group that beheaded hostages have been taken into American custody and moved out of Syria.
Turkish troops invaded northern Syria on Wednesday to push back Kurdish fighters it views as terrorists. The Kurds have been backed by the United States and they captured the last of IS-controlled territory in Syria in March. It also accuses the 78 of inciting hatred and making false claims “to undermine the reputation of our security forces.”
The bloc also is urging all parties to ensure the protection of civilians and humanitarian access throughout Syria. The meeting comes after Egypt called for an emergency meeting of the Arab League to discuss Turkey’s “blatant aggression” against Syria’s sovereignty.Turkey’s Defense Ministry says Turkish ground forces have moved across the border to fight against Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria, hours after Turkish jets and artillery pounded areas in Syria’s northern border.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at eight, including two Christian Assyrians in the city of Qamishli, a husband and wife and their child as well as another man in a village outside of the town of Tal Abyad, and a child in a village west of Qamishli. Also killed was a man in Ras al-Ayn, it said.The Observatory said at least seven fighters from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces were killed in the fighting.
In a statement Wednesday, Trump said no American soldiers are in the area being invaded. Earlier, Trump ordered U.S. forces out of the area, prompting criticism that he was abandoning an American ally.He says he will hold Turkey to its commitment to protect civilians and religious minorities, including Christians, and ensure the invasion does not create a humanitarian crisis. He also says Turkey must make sure that IS fighters held captive in Syria remain detained.A U.S.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry in a statement Wednesday condemned “in the strongest words” the offensive and called for the U.N. Security Council to halt “any attempts to occupy Syrian territories . or change the demographics in northern Syria.” Turkey began a military operation against Kurdish fighters Wednesday targeting areas in northeast Syria with airstrikes and artillery shelling.
Maas said that Syria needed stability after eight years of war and that the first step should be to summon a constitutional committee in the near future: “We call on Turkey to end its offensive and to pursue its security interests in a peaceful manner. ”The secretary-general of NATO is urging Turkey not to “further destabilize the region” through its military action in northern Syria.
Anadolu Agency said howitzers pounded the town Wednesday after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the start of a Turkish military operation against Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria. Turkey’s Defense Ministry said the offensive started at 4 p.m. . While acknowledging that Turkey has security concerns on its border with Syria, Juncker says that “if the Turkish plan involves the creation of a so-called safe zone, don’t expect the European Union to pay for any of it.”
Turkey has been massing troops for days in preparation for an attack against Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria that Ankara considers a terrorist organization.A U.S. official says the Turkish airstrikes in northeastern Syria are not coordinated with the U.S. military and are considered dangerous for the coalition forces and civilians in the area.Turkey’s President Erdogan announced airstrikes began in Kurdish-controlled areas of northeastern Syria on Wednesday.
Trump tweets Wednesday that “GOING INTO THE MIDDLE EAST IS THE WORST DECISION EVER MADE IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY!” The Syrian Kurdish-led administration says in a statement on Wednesday that it’s responding positively to calls from Moscow encouraging the Kurds and the Syrian government to settle their difference through talks.
Erdogan’s office said the Turkish leader told his Russian counterpart in a phone call on Wednesday that Ankara’s planned military action in the region east of the Euphrates River “will contribute to the peace and stability” and also “pave the way for a political process” in Syria. The ministry says the announcements surrounding the planned invasion reflect Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “hostile behavior” and Ankara’s expansionist ambitions in Syria.
He added that Turkey’s “only target are terrorists” in northeast Syria and that the incursion would be Ankara’s way to “contribute to Syria’s border integrity.” Gabriel says that the Syrian Kurdish-led forces control about 30% of Syria. He says there are currently no contacts with the government side.
Turkey has been preparing for an attack on the Kurdish fighters in Syria whom Ankara considers terrorists allied with a Kurdish insurgency within Turkey. Akar told state-run Anadolu Agency: “Our efforts concerning the offensive are continuing, the deployment, the preparations are continuing.”Iranian state television says the Islamic Republic has launched a surprise military drill with army special operations forces near the country’s border with Turkey.
Iran and Russia are both key allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s long-embattled government. Both have troops on the ground in Syria. While they may publicly oppose a Turkish incursion into Syria, they probably don’t mind an operation that diminishes the Kurdish forces.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is accusing the United States of playing “very dangerous games” with the Syrian Kurds, whose fighters were top U.S. allies in the war against the Islamic State group in Syria.
The top Russian diplomat stressed that both Damascus and the Syrian Kurds have said they are “open to dialogue, and we will do our best to help launch talks on this subject.”The Kurdish-led civilian administration in northeastern Syria has issued a “general mobilization” call along the border with Turkey, as Ankara masses troops ahead of an imminent invasion.
President Donald Trump on Sunday abruptly announced American troops would step aside ahead of the Turkish push — a shift in U.S. policy that essentially abandoned the Syrian Kurds, longtime U.S. allies in the fight against the Islamic State group.A top Turkish official says Turkey’s military will “shortly” cross into Syria together with allied Syrian rebel forces after President Donald Trump announced U.S. troops would withdraw from the area.
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