Turkish and allied forces yesterday faced stiff Kurdish resistance as they battled to seize key border towns on the third day of a broad offensive that has sparked a civilian exodus.
US President Donald Trump, whose order to pull back US troops from the border this week effectively triggered the invasion, said Washington would now seek to broker a truce.
The third such Turkish operation since the start of the civil war in Syria was met with fierce international condemnation over what many saw as the blatant betrayal of a faithful ally.
Photo: AFP
The Kurdish forces targeted by Turkey were the US-led coalition’s main ground partner in years of battle against the Islamic State group.
The risk that thousands of the militants still held could break free on the back of the Turkish assault could yet spur the international community into action, but two days into the offensive the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were fending for themselves, trying to repulse multiple ground attacks along a roughly 120km segment of the border.
“There is heavy fighting between the SDF and the Turks on different fronts, mostly from Tal Abyad to Ras al-Ain,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. “The SDF are using tunnels, trenches and berms” in their defense operations.
Kurdish counterattacks overnight led to the retaking of two of the 11 villages they had lost since the start of the Turkish-led assault on Wednesday.
The war monitor said at least 10 civilians and 29 SDF fighters had been killed since the launch of the offensive on Wednesday.
The Turkish military announced its first fatality yesterday.
Ras al-Ain, Tal Abyad and other border towns between them have been almost emptied of their population in a huge wave of displacement.
Most of the 70,000 people the UN confirmed had been displaced traveled east toward the city of Hasakeh, which has not been targeted by Turkey.
On Twitter on Thursday, Trump said that he hoped to “mediate a deal between Turkey and the Kurds” — saying the alternatives were sending in “thousands of troops” or hitting Turkey hard with sanctions.
A US official said that Trump had asked diplomats to try to broker a ceasefire agreement and argued sanctions against Turkey were not justified at this stage.
Asked to define what actions would breach Trump’s vague warning, the US official said that they would include “ethnic cleansing ... indiscriminate artillery, air and other fires directed at civilian populations.”
Aid groups have warned of yet another humanitarian disaster in Syria if the offensive is not stopped.
France, which was the US’ main partner in the anti-Islamic State coalition, has threatened sanctions against NATO member Turkey.
Turkey is still far from having reached the goals of its military invasion, but the risk appears to be growing that detained Islamic State fighters could break free.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he doubted that Turkey would be able to ensure Islamic State prisoners stay behind bars.
“I’m not sure whether the Turkish army will be able to take this under control — and how soon,” Putin said. “This is a real threat to us.”
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