Turkey’s military says it captured a key Syrian border town.

Soldiers in Ras al-Ayn as attacks intensifying

CEYLANPINAR, Turkey — Turkey’s military said it captured a key Syrian border town under heavy bombardment Saturday in its most significant gain since an offensive against Kurdish fighters began four days ago.

Turkish troops entered central Ras al-Ayn, according to Turkey’s Defense Ministry and a war monitor group. The ministry tweeted: “Ras al-Ayn’s residential center has been taken under control through the successful operations in the east of Euphrates” River. It marked the biggest gain made by Turkey since the invasion began Wednesday.

The continued push by Turkey into Syria comes days after President Donald Trump cleared the way for Turkey’s air and ground offensive, pulling back U.S. forces and saying he wanted to stop getting involved with “endless wars.” Trump’s decision drew swift bipartisan criticism that he was endangering regional stability and risking the lives of Syrian Kurdish allies who brought down the Islamic State group in Syria. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces was the main U.S. ally in the fight and lost 11,000 fighters in the nearly five-year battle against IS.

Turkish troops and allied Syrian opposition fighters have made gains recently capturing several northern villages in fighting and bombardment that left dozens of people killed or wounded. The invasion also has forced nearly 100,000 people to flee their homes amid concerns that IS might take advantage of the chaos and try to rise again.

The Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, called on the United States to carry out its “moral responsibilities” and close northern Syrian airspace to Turkish warplanes.

“We don’t want them to send their soldiers to the front lines and put their lives in danger,” the statement said. “What we want is for them” to close the airspace for Turkish warplanes.

During a meeting Saturday in Cairo, the 22-member Arab League condemned “Turkey’s aggression against Syria.”

France’s defense and foreign ministries said Saturday that the country was halting exports of any arms to Turkey that could be used in its offensive.

Baderkhan Ahmad The Associated Press Relatives mourn during a funeral Saturday for a Syrian Democratic Forces fighter in the Syrian town of Qamishli.