Turkey Threatens More Shelling on Syrian Kurds if Advance Continues
Turkey Threatens More Shelling on Syrian Kurds if Advance Continues –
Turkish Armed Forces will continue to shell Kurdish militias in northern Syria along the Turkish border, if Kurdish forces cross the line between Jarabulus and Azaz, according to local media.
ANKARA (Sputnik) — Turkey will continue to bombard Syria’s Kurdish self-defense forces should the militias cross the line between the northern Syrian cities of Jarabulus and Azaz in their anti-terrorist offensive, local media reported Thursday.
Turkey has been shelling Kurdish militias in northern Syria along the Turkish border since February. Ankara has claimed that the Syrian Kurds have links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist organization by the Turkish authorities.
The Hurriyet newspaper reported, citing a military source, that the Turkish Armed Forces would not invade Syria should the Kurds cross the line between Jarabulus and Azaz in their offensive against the Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) militant group, but would instead shell Kurdish positions.
Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the government forces fighting several opposition factions and militant groups, including Daesh. Kurdish militias have also been fighting against Daesh, which is outlawed in many countries, including Russia and the United States.