Turkey intensifies ground offensive in northern Syria against Us-backed militias

TURKISH ground forces entered the Afrin province in Syria yesterday morning in a bid to oust Us-backed Kurdish militias from the border between the two countries.

The escalation came on the second day of Turkey’s “Operation Olive Branch”, which began on Saturday with a barrage of air strikes on the Kurdish YPG militia in the province.

Turkey said it wanted to create a 30km safe zone around Afrin, deep inside Syria.

Hours after ground forces entered the country, a missile fired from Syria hit the Turkish border town of Reyhanli, killing a Syrian national and wounding 32 people.

Turkey made its move just a week after the US announced it was working to create a new Syrian border security force by backing Syrian democratic forces, which include militia from the Kurdish YPG. The Turkish government regards the YPG as a terrorist organisation, closely tied to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, which has carried out a bloody three-year insurgency in Turkey’s south east.

Despite a call for restraint by France, which wants an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Turkish officials have taken a zero-tolerance line in

‘We are not alone... Allah is with us. God willing, this operation will come to an end in a short time’

northern Syria. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, the foreign minister, declared yesterday that anyone who opposed Turkey’s operation was siding with terrorists and would be treated accordingly.

The invasion of Afrin puts Turkey at risk of a confrontation with its Nato ally the US, which closely backs the YPG as its partner against Isil and as a border guard force in the Euphrates area.

Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish president, said on Twitter: “In its second day, the Olive Branch Operation continues to ensure peace and security for our people, protect Syria’s territorial integrity and eliminate all terrorist elements in the region.” He added: “Turkey expects its allies to support its fight against terrorism in all of its forms.”

However, Bekir Bozdağ, the deputy prime minister, said clashes with US troops were “out of the question”.

Mr Erdoğan declared yesterday that “there is no stepping back” from the mission to clear Afrin of YPG. “We are not alone... Allah is with us,” he added: “God willing, this operation will come to an end in a short time.”

Before the invasion was announced, Turkey claimed four rockets struck the border town of Kilis, wounding one person and damaging buildings. Turkey retaliated with artillery fire towards YPG positions in northern Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Turkish shells killed eight civilians, including at least one child, in the village of Jalbara.

Sunday’s invasion had been hinted at for several weeks by Ankara.