Turkey starts military operation in north-East Syria

Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said the country’s military operation in north-east Syria has started. Several large explosions were reported in the border town of Ras al-Ain while blasts were also heard at Tal Abyad.

BBC reports that Turkish warplanes have bombed parties of north-eastern Syria at the start of an offensive which could lead to conflict with Kurdish-led allies of the US.

Erdogan said the operation was to create a safe zone cleared of Kurdish militias which is aimed at housing Syrian refugees.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said that civilian areas came under attack from Turkish planes.

Erdogan, on Twitter, said that the mission was to prevent the creation of a terror corridor across the Turkish southern border and to bring peace in the area, while preserving Syria’s territorial integrity and liberate local communities ‘from terrorists’.

Via Reuters / BBC / Twitter

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