Turkey has launched its long-awaited offensive in north-east Syria, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday, defying an international outcry over the threat posed to Us-backed Kurdish forces and the campaign against Isis jihadis.
The Turkish leader said that the operation — codenamed Peace Spring — would “eliminate the terror threat towards our country” from Kurdish militants and Isis.
Writing on Twitter, he said that Turkey would destroy the “terror corridor” that some actors were seeking to form on Turkey’s southern border and establish a “safe zone” that would allow Syrian refugees to return home. Turkey’s aim, he said, was to “bring peace to the region”. He added: “We will preserve Syria’s territorial integrity and liberate local communities from terrorists.”
Shortly before the president’s statement, Turkish media stationed on the border with Syria reported the sound of fighter jets overhead followed by the boom of explosions near the Syrian town of Ras al-ayn.
The Turkish offensive began with local reports of airstrikes on towns across the border area, which sent civilians fleeing for safety. Videos on social media showed people streaming out of Ras al-ayn where bombings were heard. It was not clear what was targeted.
Local media also reported airstrikes as far east as Qamishli, confirmed by someone in the town. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is spearheaded by Kurdish fighters of the People’s Protection Units or YPG, said on Twitter that initial reports indicated civilian casualties, but the claim has not yet been verified.
Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had earlier said that the country’s “sole target” was “terrorists” in north-east Syria. He said: “This is our right, stemming from the UN Charter, UN Security Council decisions, and international law. Our operation will be carried out in this framework . . . We will inform the UN and relevant countries, including Syria [of the plan].”
In a statement on Wednesday, the Kremlin said: “In light of the plans announced by Turkey to conduct a military operation in north-eastern Syria, Vladimir Putin called on Turkey to carefully weigh the situation so as not to damage the overall efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis.”
Russia’s military support for Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has swung the more than eight-year-long Syrian civil war in his favour but has dragged Moscow into long-running efforts to forge a post-conflict settlement.
US President Donald Trump appeared to give the green light to the Turkish operation on Monday after a phone call with Mr Erdogan when he said that he was handing over responsibility for the battle against Sunni jihadis Isis to Ankara. Mr Trump was hit by a fierce backlash after announcing that US troops in the region would be pulled out of the immediate area of a Turkish operation.
Washington had armed and trained the SDF as ground troops for the fight against Isis in north-east Syria, which was home to the capital of Isis’ self-proclaimed caliphate. But Ankara considers the YPG a terrorist group with intimate links to Kurdish militants who have waged a 35-year insurgency on Turkish soil. It was enraged by the decision by the US, a fellow Nato member, to support Kurdish forces in Syria — and has long vowed to attack.
