Syria rebels backed by Turkey tanks ‘seize’ IS-held town

KARKAMIS, Turkey: Turkish tanks and hundreds of opposition fighters thrust deep inside Syrian territory Wednesday in a lightning operation that within hours ousted Islamic State jihadists from a key Syrian border town.

The air and ground offensive – the most ambitious launched by Ankara in the Syria conflict – made rapid progress towards Jarabulus with rebel fighters already proclaiming victory by the late afternoon just 14 hours after it started.

“Jarabulus is completely liberated,” Ahmad Othman, a commander of the Sultan Mourad rebel group, told AFP from the scene, while another rebel spokesman said IS fighters had fled towards Al-Bab to the southwest.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is hosting US Vice President Joe Biden in Ankara, said Syrian fighters in Jarabulus had “taken it back” from IS.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported that just one Syrian rebel fighter killed and 10 wounded. No Turkish forces lost their lives.

Erdogan had earlier emphasised the operation was also targeting Kurdish militia fighters strongly opposed by Ankara – but backed by the US as a key ally against IS – who had also been closing in on Jarabulus.

Biden reassured Turkey that Washington had told the Kurdish fighters under no circumstances to cross west of the Euphrates River or face the total loss of American support.

The operation – named ‘ Euphrates Shield’ – began at around 4.00am ( 0100 GMT) with Turkish artillery pounding dozens of IS targets around Jarabulus. — AFP