Some 24 YPG/PKK terrorists have surrendered to Turkish security forces, as the Operation Peace Branch continues east of the Euphrates river in norther
Some 24 YPG/PKK terrorists have surrendered to Turkish security forces, as the Operation Peace Branch continues east of the Euphrates river in northern Syria.
Since the beginning of the operation, 24 terrorists have surrendered to the security forces.
Turkey on Wednesday launched Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria to secure its borders by eliminating terrorists there and to ensure the safe return of Syrian refugees and Syria’s territorial integrity.
Ankara wants to clear the region east of the Euphrates River of the terrorist PKK and its Syrian offshoot, the PYD/YPG.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union — has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
US prepares to evacuate troops from northern Syria
The U.S. is preparing to evacuate about 1,000 U.S. troops from northern Syria, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said on Sunday.The decision came a week after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would pull back its forces from the Syrian border after a telephone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.”In the last 24 hours, we learned that [the Turks] likely intend to extend their attack further south than originally planned, and to the west,” Esper said on the CBS program Face the Nation.”We also have learned in the last 24 hours that the SDF are looking to cut a deal, if you will, with the Syrians and the Russians to counter attack against the Turks in the north,” he added.Esper added that it will be a deliberate withdrawal and they want to conduct it as safely and quickly as possible.Turkey on Wednesday launched Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria to secure its borders by eliminating terrorists there and to ensure the safe return of Syrian refugees and Syria’s territorial integrity.Ankara plans to resettle two million Syrians in a 30-km-wide (19-miles) proposed safe zone in Syria, stretching from the Euphrates River to the Iraqi border, including Manbij. However, the presence of terror groups such as the PKK, PYD, and YPG risk its formation.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union — has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.US withdraws forces from observation post in Syria
Turkey’s ruling party criticizes Turkish Cypriot leader
Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party on Sunday condemned the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) president’s remarks on Turkey’s ongoing anti-terror operation in northern Syria.”The statement made by the President of TRNC against our Operation Peace Spring is inadequate and disrespectful,” said Omer Celik, the party spokesman.Celik criticized Mustafa Akinci for inviting Turkey to hold a dialogue with terrorist organizations.”Operation Peace Spring is being conducted against a terrorist organization, which is a murder network.”Mr. Akinci does not formulate a single sentence against the terrorist organization, but he criticizes our efforts against terrorism. This is a clear disrespect,” Celik said on Twitter.Erdoğan says Syrian Kurds ‘biggest’ supporters of military operationTurkey expects Turkish Cypriot aid in anti-terror fightHe also reminded Akinci the number of citizens, soldiers and babies killed as the result of the attacks.”For the sake of your fallen martyrs, you should not use this disrespectful language,” the party spokesman added.Celik stressed that the Cyprus Peace Operation was carried out against a “murder network”, adding it was an operation that established peace.”Operation Peace Spring is also a fight against terrorism […],” he added.”These statements that do not represent the TRNC citizens is a black stain for Akinci.”We have the same will for Operation Peace Spring which we had while we were conducting the Cyprus Peace Operation,” Celik maintained.Top Turkish Cypriot officials back Turkey’s Syria op
Erdoğan says Syrian Kurds ‘biggest’ supporters of military operation
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that they received the biggest support for Turkey’s Operation Peace Spring from Syrian Kurds.”Our operation is not targeting the Kurds,” Erdogan said in Istanbul.He went on to say that Turkey will not allow the establishment of a terrorist state in northern Syria.The ongoing military operation has killed 440 terrorists, injured 26 and captured 24, the president added.”So far, there have been 652 mortar and rocket attacks on [Turkey’s] provinces of Sanliurfa, Mardin, Sirnak and Gaziantep fired by the YPG/PKK terrorists,” Erdogan said.He noted that 18 civilians — most of them children — were martyred in PKK attacks on Turkey’s border provinces and 147 people were injured.Separately, he dubbed as “disinformation” the reports that claimed the Daesh detainees have fled prisons in northern Syria.He stressed that Turkey assumed the responsibility of more than 7,000 foreign fighters and sent a large number of them back to their country of origins.“Of course, they [PYD terrorist organization] are doing it deliberately. It is actually a disinformation. They want to provoke the U.S. or the West by doing it so,” Erdogan said in a meeting with chief editors of media outlets at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.Referring to reports in which PYD said a total of 785 Daesh detainees fled prisons, Erdogan said he has talked about this issue with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.“We meet with Russian President [Vladimir] Putin within 24 hours if there is any problem. We take the necessary steps together,” he added.Erdogan reiterated that his country “has no eye on Syrian territory.”Referring to Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) president’s remarks on Turkey’s operation, he said the Turkish Cypriot leader’s comments are “disrespectful.”TRNC leader Mustafa Akinci had invited Turkey to hold a dialogue with terrorist organizations.Turkey on Wednesday launched Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria to secure its borders by eliminating terrorists there and to ensure the safe return of Syrian refugees and Syria’s territorial integrity.Ankara wants to clear the region east of the Euphrates River of the terrorist PKK and its Syrian offshoot, the PYD/YPG.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union — has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.