syria

Turkey-Syria: Syrian Army Heads North After Kurdish Deal

October 14, 2019 12:54 pm

Syria’s army has started to reach the north of the country, hours after the government agreed to help Kurdish forces facing Turkey.

State media said government forces, which are backed by Russia, had entered the strategic town of Tal Tamer, 30km (19 miles) south of the Turkish border.

The deal came after the US, the Kurds’ main ally, said it would withdraw its remaining troops from northern Syria.

Turkey’s offensive aims to push Kurdish forces from the border region.

Areas under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) came under heavy bombardment over the weekend, with Turkey making …

Turkey-Syria Offensive: Kurds Reach Deal With Syrian Army

October 14, 2019 3:26 am

The Kurds in Syria say the Syrian government has agreed to send its army to the northern border to try to halt Turkey’s offensive against them.

Syrian state media earlier reported that government forces had been deployed to the north.

It follows the US decision to pull all its remaining troops from the area over the “untenable” situation there.

The Turkish assault, launched last week, is aimed at forcing Kurdish forces from along the border area.

Areas under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the main US ally in the area, have come under heavy bombardment over …

1,000 US Troops To Withdraw From Northern Syria – Esper

October 13, 2019 11:40 am

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Sunday that President Donald Trump had ordered the withdrawal of up to 1,000 troops from northern Syria, as the number of people fleeing a Turkish assault soared to 130,000.

“I spoke with the president last night after discussions with the rest of the national security team and he directed that we begin a deliberate withdrawal of forces from northern Syria,” Esper told CBS’s Face the Nation.

Esper told Fox News that the number of troops being pulled back totaled “less than a thousand.”

“I can’t give a timeline because it changes hourly. We want …

Islamic State (IS) Families Escape Syria Displacement Camp

October 13, 2019 10:23 am

Families of Islamic State (IS) group members escaped a displacement camp in northern Syria where a Turkish offensive against Kurdish forces has sparked fierce fighting, Kurdish authorities said Sunday.

“The brutal military assault led by Turkey and its mercenaries are now taking place near a camp in Ain Issa, where there are thousands (of people) from families of IS,” the Kurdish administration said in a statement.

“Some were able to escape after bombardments that targeted” the camp, the statement added.

“More than 100 people, women and children,” fled the camp in Ain Issa, a camp official told AFP, requesting anonymity.…

Turkey Syria War: US Builds Pressure To Halt Incursion

October 12, 2019 4:19 am

Pressure is building in the US to stop Turkey from continuing its offensive against Kurdish-held areas in Syria.

Defence Secretary Mark Esper warned of “serious consequences” while Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin held out the prospect of fresh sanctions.

President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops effectively triggered the Turkish incursion.

He has said he would like the US to negotiate a truce between Nato ally Turkey and the Kurds.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, however, says the military operation will continue. Kurdish leaders accuse the US of stabbing them in the back.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon said US forces near …

Syria Border: Trump Threatens To destroy Turkish Economy

October 7, 2019 3:05 pm

President Donald Trump has threatened to destroy the Turkish economy if the government goes “off-limits” after his decision to pull US forces out of north-eastern Syria.

In a series of tweets, Mr. Trump defended his move that could open the way for Turkey to launch an attack on Kurdish fighters across the border.

The withdrawal was heavily criticised even by Mr. Trump’s Republican allies.

Kurdish forces were key US allies in defeating the Islamic State in Syria.

Mr. Trump’s surprise move – described by the main Kurdish-led group as a “stab in the back” – goes against the advice of …

US final battle to crush ISIS in Syria

February 11, 2019 12:12 pm

The final battle is on to kick ISIS out of Syria. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces launched an assault to remove ISIS from its last enclave in the country.