Contents tagged with turkey
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Turkey to expand military operation on Syrian border
Turkey intends to expand its military operation against the Kurdish militarized groups known as the People’s Protection Units (YPG) along Turkey’s entire border with Syria, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday January 26, DW reports.
“Operation Olive Branch will continue, until all the set objectives have been achieved,” the president said, emphasizing that the Turkish forces would “liberate” the city of Manbij from “terrorists”, as well as all the other territory along the …
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Pentagon: US may stop supporting Kurds in Syria
Pentagon spokesperson Adrian Rankine-Galloway told Turkish news agency Anadolu in an interview that the US will stop supporting the Syrian Kurds’ People’s Protection Units (YPG) if they attempt a military operation in the Afrin region, instead of fighting the Islamic State.
“We are only training and supporting forces who are fighting ISIS. The Pentagon does not give orders to the forces that are active on the ground. If there is an attempt at a military operation not directed against ISIS, …
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Erdogan: Turkey has an agreement with Russia concerning Kurdish-held Canton of Afrin
Turkey does not intend to desist from carrying out operation “Olive Branch” in the Syrian region of Afrin, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as reported by the local newspaper Yeni Safak. According to Erdogan, Turkey also has a certain agreement with Russia in this regard.
“Turkey does not intend to back down from the operation in Afrin, and has an agreement with Russia,” Erdogan said during a speech in Ankara.
However, he emphasized that Turkey does lay claim to Afrin territory.
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Syrian Kurds say they forced Turks to retreat from Afrin
During the course of persistent fighting, Syrian Kurds forced Turkish troops and pro-Turkish militant groups to retreat from their territory, said spokesman for Syrian Kurdistan in Moscow, Rodi Osman, RIA Novosti reports.
“Turkish forces and groups associated with them attempted to cross over to the territory of the Syrian city of Afrin, accompanied by aircraft and missile strikes. However, the Syrian Democratic Forces struck at five positions [Turkish soldiers and Syrian armed opposition]. In …
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Turkish Prime Minister: Russia did not object to our operation in Syria
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim confirmed the beginning of the ground operation in Syria. Ankara said the goal is the creation of a security zone on the Turkish-Syrian border.
The politician promised that “anyone who provides military support to Kurdish forces in Afrin, including the United States, will be targeted by the Turkish armed forces.”
He also said that the operation will include four stages, as reported by NTV television channel. First, a 30-kilometer “safe zone” will be …
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Kremlin: Russia will not interfere in inevitable conflict between Turkey and Syria
In the event of a military conflict between Turkey and Syria, the Russian military deployed in the territory will not take part in it, as stated by Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the Council of Federation on Defense and Security Frants Klintsevich.
According to him, Russia’s participation in a potential conflict between Damascus and Ankara is not stipulated in the current international treaties.
Klintsevich noted that he considers a military conflict between Turkey and Syria almost …
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Turkey deploys electronic warfare system in Syria
A Turkish Koral electronic warfare system (EWS) was spotted in the border regions close to the city of Afrin in the north of the Aleppo province. The photograph showing the EWS was published by Telegram channel 338 on Friday, January 19.
The EWS will most likely be activated during the Turkish military’s offensive on the YPG, an armed group of Syrian Kurds, affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which is banned in Turkey.
Development of the Koral EWS was begun by the Turkish company …
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Media: Russian troops pulling out from Syria's Afrin as Turkish military operation begins
Russian military have started pulling their divisions out from Syrian enclave Afrin where Turkey plans to conduct a military operation against Kurds, reported Anadolu news agency.
“Dozens of Russian military are moving to Nubl and Zahra, the cities controlled by Bashar Assad. Part of the Russian contingent still remains in Afrin,” the agency said.
On Friday, January 19, during a broadcast of the Ahaber TV-channel, Minister of Defense of Turkey Nurettin Canikli acknowledged that a military …
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Syria declares its readiness to shoot down Turkish military aircraft
Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told reporters that the Syrian Air Defense Forces have been restored, and are capable of shooting down any Turkish aircraft in the airspace of the Syrian Arab Republic.
"We warn that Syria’s air force has completely resumed its former capability, and is ready to destroy Turkish air targets in the skies above the Syrian Arab Republic; this means that, in case of aggression against Syria, [it would be] no picnic," said Mekdad.
On Wednesday, Turkish …
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Erdogan threatens to start military operation against Kurds in northern Syria
Turkey will “rip off the heads” of the YPG Kurdish “terrorists” in the Afrin and Manbij regions, “if they do not surrender”, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a public speech in the Elazig Province, reported the Turkish TV channel NTV.
“In Manbij, if the promises [of the Americans to withdraw the Kurdish YPG troops] are not fulfilled, we will take the matter into our own hands. They will see what we do in a week. If the terrorists in Afrin do not surrender, we will rip off …