Turkish ground troops enter northern Syria
Incursion follows air strikes to remove Kurdish fighters from Afrin
Turkish ground troops and pro-Turkish rebels from the Free Syrian Army have crossed into northern Syria to clear Kurdish militia from the Syrian province of Afrin.
Turkey says the YPG militia, which forms part of the US-backed alliance battling Islamic State in the region, is aligned with the banned Kurdish Workers Party (PKK).
The troop movement followed dozens of Turkish air strikes on Saturday. The operation, named “Olive Branch”, was reportedly fast-tracked after the US announced plans to help Kurdish and ethnic Arab militias to build a new “border security force” between Syria and Turkey.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Turkey reportedly informed the US in advance of the air strikes, which have so far claimed the lives of at least 17 civilians and three YPG fighters, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told the BBC.
“Our jets took off and started bombing and now the ground operation is underway,” Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said. “Now we see how the YPG ... are fleeing in Afrin.”
Reuters reports that around 25,000 Free Syrian Army rebels are taking part in the operation, citing rebel commander Major Yasser Abdul Rahim. He explained that his forces had were not seeking to invade the city of Afrin, but would attempt to “encircle it and expel the YPG, which controls it”.
The US, France and Russia have called for restraint from Turkey, and for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the situation.
Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war, is widely expected to demand a halt to the Turkish operation later today.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 hilariously spirited cartoons about the spirit of Christmas
Cartoons Artists take on excuses, pardons, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Inside the house of Assad
The Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
By The Week UK Published
-
Sudoku medium: December 22, 2024
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Inside the house of Assad
The Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
By The Week UK Published
-
Is it safe for refugees to return to Syria?
Talking Point European countries rapidly froze asylum claims after Assad's fall but Syrian refugees may have reason not to rush home
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Assad's fall upends the Captagon drug empire
Multi-billion-dollar drug network sustained former Syrian regime
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
New Syria government takes charge, urging 'stability'
Speed Read The rebel forces that ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad announced an interim government
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How should the West respond to Syria's new leadership?
Today's Big Question The weight of historical interventions and non-interventions in the region hangs heavy on Western leaders' minds
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published