Intense battles continue in Syria’s Afrin
Washington helped a force dominated by the YPG to drive out IS extremists.
The US and Russia have called for restraint on the part of Ankara’s “Operation Olive Branch” to crush the YPG in the Afrin region near Turkey’s southern border.
A senior Trump administration official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, said Ankara had sent “conflicting signals” about the scope of the offensive.
“We would urge them to limit the incursion as much as possible,” he said. Another official — as well as Turkey’s foreign minister — said Erdogan and Trump planned to speak on Wednesday.
A statement by Macron’s office said: “Taking into account Turkey’s security imperatives, the president expressed to his Turkish counterpart his concerns following the military intervention launched on Saturday in Afrin.”
Erdogan told Macron on Tuesday that Turkey was taking all measures to prevent civilian casualties in Afrin, sources at the presidential palace said. The two leaders agreed to stay in close contact on the issue.
The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin had also discussed Turkey’s military operation with Erdogan by phone, saying Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty has to be respected.
A Kremlin statement said both leaders stressed the importance of continuing their two countries’ joint work to try to find a peaceful resolution to Syria’s crisis.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu reiterated Ankara’s demand that Washington stop supporting the YPG.
Ankara has said the operation will be swift, but Erdogan’s spokesman signaled an open-ended cross-border campaign, saying it would end only when some 3.5 million Syrian refugees now living in Turkey could safely return home.
Breaking point
Ankara has been infuriated by the US support for the YPG, which is one of several issues that have brought ties between Washington and its Muslim NATO ally close to breaking point.
“The future of our relations depends on the step the United States will take next,” Cavusoglu said.
Turkey’s military, the second largest in NATO, has conducted airstrikes and artillery barrages against targets in Afrin, and its soldiers and allied Syrian rebels tried to thrust into the Kurdish-held district from west, north and eastern flanks.
With heavy cloud cover hindering air support in the last 24 hours, advances have been limited and Kurdish militia have retaken some territory. Turkish troops and the Syrian fighters have been trying to take the summit of Bursaya Hill, overlooking the eastern approach to Afrin town.
So far, 22 civilian deaths have been reported by observers since the Ankara on Saturday launched the cross-border campaign.
A UN report, citing local sources, said about 5,000 people in Afrin had been displaced as of Monday but that some of the most vulnerable had been unable to flee.