It’s Assad vs Turkey in north Syria
AKCAKALE, TURKEY: Syrian government troops moved into a series of towns and villages in northern Syria on Monday, setting up a potential clash with Turkish-led forces in the area, as US troops prepared to pull out.
The Syrian army’s deployment near the Turkish border came hours after Syrian Kurdish forces previously allied with the US said they reached a deal with President Bashar Assad’s government to help fend off Turkey’s invasion.
The announcement of a deal between Syria’s Kurds and its government is a major shift in alliances.
RUSSIA DENIES BOMBING FOUR SYRIAN HOSPITALS
MOSCOW: Russia denied a report that it bombed four hospitals in Syria over a period of 12 hours this year. The Russian defence ministry rubbished the claim in a report by The New York Times, saying “the alleged evidence provided is not worth even the paper it was printed on”.
US TROOPS SCRAMBLE FOR EXITS IN SYRIA
WASHINGTON:US troops scrambled for Syria’s exits on Monday while the Trump administration threatened economic penalties on Turkey for an invasion that opened the door to a resurgence of the IS group - the fighters who were the reason US forces came in the first place.
PUTIN ARRIVES IN SAUDI ARABIA
DUBAI: Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in Riyadh on a trip to the kingdom. Saudi soldiers greeted him at the airport. The visit comes as the kingdom tries to strike a closer relationship with Russia, especially as it is limiting its oil production to help boost global energy prices.