Turkey launches assault on Syrian Kurdish forces

[ahlam1399]

RAS AL-AIN, Syria: Turkey launched an assault on Kurdish forces in northern Syria on Wednesday with air strikes and artillery fire reported along the border.President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the start of the attack on Twitter, labelling it "Operation Peace Spring".It triggered criticism from Western countries who have allied with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against the Islamic State jihadist group (IS).An AFP correspondent reported Turkish artillery fire in the Ras al-Ain border area and explosions as warplanes flew overhead. Kurdish forces said at least two civilians were killed.SDF fighters armed with rocket launchers were seen deploying in the area, as Kurdish authorities called up civilians to defend against the assault.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said air strikes and artillery fire also hit the Tal Abyad border region further west. The SDF called on the international community to impose a no-fly zone to protect against "an imminent humanitarian crisis".Erdogan said the operation would target both Kurdish militants and IS. "Our mission is to prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border, and to bring peace to the area," he wrote on Twitter.Ankara says it is necessary to curb the power of the SDF due to its ties with Kurdish insurgents inside Turkey. It also wants a "safe zone" on the Syrian side of the border where it could send back some of the 3.6 million refugees it hosts from the eight-year civil war. President Donald Trump insisted the United States had not abandoned its Kurdish allies.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/com/cwEr/~4/xe1i4cgZVbI

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