Turkey warns Syrian Kurds of new strikes

TURKEY has warned predominantly Kurdish Syrian forces of more strikes by Turkish forces unless they withdraw east of the River Euphrates immediately.

Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke as Syrian opposition groups reported that Turkish-backed Syrian rebels have captured more towns and villages in northern Syria.

Turkish tanks rolled across the border last week to help Syrian rebels seize the town of Jarablus from IS, a move that was also aimed at deterring further advances by Kurdish-led forces.

The fighting pits Turkey, a Nato ally, against a US-backed proxy that is the most effective ground force battling IS militants in Syria’s fiveyear-old civil war.

It leaves Washington in the tough spot of having to choose between two allies.