Turkey in attack on Kurdish militia

Turkish troops and Syrian opposition forces have attacked a Kurdish enclave in northern Syria in their attempt to oust a Us-allied Kurdish militia from the area.

The Turkish offensive on Afrin started on Saturday and has heightened tensions in the already complicated Syrian conflict, threatening to further strain ties between Nato allies Turkey and the US.

It prompted condemnations from the Syrian government, Iran and Egypt. France called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting to discuss the developments and urged Turkish authorities “to act with restraint in a context where the humanitarian situation is deteriorating in several regions of Syria”.

Turkish officials said the troops entered Afrin a day after dozens of Turkish jets and artillery units at the border pounded Syrian Kurdish targets.

A spokesman for the Kurdish fighters said the attack was repelled. Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish militia a terror organisation.