{"id":196084,"date":"2019-10-10T06:28:18","date_gmt":"2019-10-10T06:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=196084"},"modified":"2019-10-12T05:53:51","modified_gmt":"2019-10-12T05:53:51","slug":"kurds-abandon-fight-against-isil-as-turkey-attacks-with-air-power-and-artillery-deep-into-syria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=196084","title":{"rendered":"Kurds abandon fight against Isil as Turkey attacks with air power and artillery deep into Syria"},"content":{"rendered":"

Raf Sanchez \u2013 Daily Telegraph.co.uk Oct 10, 2019<\/h1>\n
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Turkish troops near the border with Syria. Click to enlarge<\/p><\/div>\n

The West\u2019s Syrian Kurdish allies announced on Wednesday that they were halting all operations against\u00a0Isil as they rushed their forces to face the long-awaited Turkish assault on northeast Syria.<\/span><\/p>\n

Turkey unleashed a wave of airstrikes and artillery bombardment against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) along the Turkish border but also struck deeper inside Syria, possibly indicating a wider offensive than initially expected.<\/span><\/p>\n

At least two civilians were killed in the first hours of the attack, the SDF said, and the roads along the border were clogged with cars and trucks as thousands of terrified people fled for safety.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan, the Turkish president, said the offensive would be known as Operation Peace Spring and was designed to push back the SDF, which Turkey considers a terrorist group.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur mission is to prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border, and to bring peace to the area,\u201d he said<\/span><\/p>\n

Last night, Dominic Raab said he had \u201cserious concerns about the unilateral military action that Turkey has taken. This risks destabilising the region, exacerbating humanitarian suffering, and undermining the progress made against Daesh which should be our collective focus.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The foreign secretary said the UK would resist plans for Syrian refugees to be returned to the so-called safe zone.<\/span><\/p>\n

European states immediately condemned the Turkish incursion and called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Thursday. The EU called for an immediate stop to the attack, warning it would “undermine the stability of the whole region”.<\/span><\/p>\n

Donald Trump, who has given contradictory messages in recent days, said the attack was \u201ca bad idea\u201d but did not call for a halt. He said Turkey had promised to protect civilians and avoid a humanitarian disaster \u201cand we will hold them to this commitment\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Turkish attack appeared to immediately embolden Isil loyalists, confirming the fears of Western security officials that the jihadists would try to take advantage of the chaos caused by the fighting.<\/span><\/p>\n

There were reports of rioting by female Isil prisoners against their guards at al-Hol, the vast detention camp where 70,000 women and children are being held. An Isil suicide bomber also attacked an SDF position in Raqqa hours before the offensive began.<\/span><\/p>\n

The SDF said it was halting its anti-Isil operations because all its forces were needed to face the Turks. \u201cIt’s impossible to carry out any operation while you are being threatened by a large army right on the northern border,” an official said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many of the SDF troops in the area around al-Hol have been ordered north, a local source said, which may encourage detainees to attempt a prison break even though armed guards remain in the camp.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Turkish strikes began on the border towns of Ras al-Ain and Tal Abyad but quickly expanded to include SDF targets far outside of Mr Erdo\u011fan\u2019s proposed 20km \u201csafe zone\u201d along the Turkish border.<\/span><\/p>\n

Warplanes reportedly struck on the towns of Derik and Qamishli as well as an SDF base at Ain Issa, close to where a camp holding foreign Isil wives and children, including some British citizens.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s smoke, columns of smoke rising above the city,\u201d said Lizzie Irvine, a British volunteer with the Kurds, told The Telegraph from Ras al-Ain. \u201cThere’s a lot of chaos and confusion, people are scared.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The SDF fired mortars and rockets into two towns in southern Turkey in response, according to Turkish media. No casualties were reported.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Turkish warplanes have started to carry out airstrikes on civilian areas. There is a huge panic among people of the region.<\/p>\n

— Mustafa Bali (@mustefabali) October 9, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n