City
Epaper

60,000 displaced on Syrian border in Turkish offensive

By IANS | Updated: October 10, 2019 22:35 IST

More than 60,000 people have fled their homes on the Syrian border with Turkey in the last 36 hours amid Turkish offensive into Kurdish-held areas, an NGO has warned.

Open in App

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Thursday that 10,000s of civil have been forced to flee in the conflict.

The NGO, which is based in the United Kingdom and has a large network of collaborators in the field, said many had left from cities such as Al-Darbasiyah and Ras al-Ayn, which were left almost empty.

Syrian troops and Kurdish militias are fighting in the border areas where Ankara aims to create a "safe zone" to resettle two million Syrian refugees.

The Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance led by Kurds, said that at least nine people have so far died from Turkish bombing in northern Syria.

Among those killed were two children and one was injured by the bombing of Turkey against the city of Qamishli, one of the most populous cities in the territory controlled by the Kurdosyr and where Damascus also dominates an area, including the airport.

Tell Abyad and Ras al-Ayn are located on the border within the so-called "safe zone" of 30 km that Turkey intends to conquer.

The Turks have already conquered several towns and villages near those two towns, according to the NGO.

Ankara began a ground operation on Tuesday night hours before the air campaign against the border, a territory previously dominated by the Popular Protection Units (YPG), backbone of the SDF, which have de facto established a local administration.

The YPG have been allies of the US so far in the fight against the jihadist group Islamic State, but Ankara considers it a terrorist organization for its links with the banned Kurdistan Workers Party, the active Kurdish guerrilla in Turkey.

The rest of northern Syria, from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea, is already under the control of Turkish troops, after the Operation Euphrates Shield north of Aleppo in 2016, and Operation Olive Branch in the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in 2018.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: SyriaTurkeyAnkaraNGO
Open in App

Related Stories

MumbaiDawood Ibrahim’s Aide Salim Dola Deported From Turkey to India, Lands in Delhi

MumbaiIndian Drug Mafia Operative Salim Dola Caught in Turkey; Linked to Global Narcotics Network

NagpurNagpur NGO Director Arrested for Allegedly Molesting, Harassing Female Employees

InternationalIraq Resumes Oil Exports via Kurdish Pipeline Amid West Asia War and Supply Crisis

InternationalTurkey Plane Crash: Pilot Killed After F-16 Jet Crashes During Patrolling Near Balıkesir

International Realted Stories

InternationalIran in contact with Oman to develop new mechanism for managing Strait of Hormuz: Foreign Ministry Spox

International"SHANTI Act has opened door for new day": Nuclear Energy Institute chief on India-US civil nuclear ties

InternationalArcadia mayor's case sparks alarm over hidden Chinese influence networks in US

InternationalReport flags rising concern over Khalistani extremist content in Canada

InternationalBangladesh economy seen as taking a hit due to trade, defence deals with US