Turkey presses Syrian assault; thousands flee

AKCAKALE, TURKEY — Turkey pressed its assault against U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in northern Syria on Thursday for a second day, pounding the region with airstrikes and an artillery bombardment that raised columns of black smoke in a border town and sent panicked civilians scrambling to get out.

Residents fled with their belongings loaded into cars, pickups and motorcycle rickshaws, while others escaped on foot. The U.N. refugee agency said tens of thousands were on the move, and aid agencies warned that nearly a half-million people near the border were at risk.

Mortar fire from Syrian Kurdish militia killed at least six civilians, including a 9-month-old boy, a civil servant and three girls under 15, while 46 people were injured following “rocket and mortar” attacks in Sanliurfa’s Akcakale and Ceylanpinar districts, the regional governor said, in the first official confirmation of casualties on the Turkish side. On the Syrian side, seven civilians and eight Kurdish fighters have been killed since the operation began, according to activists in Syria.

Cross-border fire killed three and injured 24 in the city of Mardin’s Nusaybin district, about 125 miles to the east of Sanliurfa, according to an official statement.

The Turkish air and ground assault was launched three days after President Donald Trump opened the way by pulling American troops from their positions near the border alongside their Kurdish allies.

Trump’s move drew swift criticism from Republicans and Democrats in Congress, along with many national defense experts, who say it has endangered not only the Kurds and regional stability but U.S. credibility as well. The Syrian Kurdish militia was the only U.S. ally in the campaign that brought down the Islamic State group in Syria.

Trump warned Turkey for moderation during its assault and to safeguard civilians. But the opening barrage showed little sign of holding back: The Turkish Defense Military said its jets and artillery had struck 181 targets so far.