Turkische troops are on the move after the announcement of a new offensive against Kurdish forces in northern Syria. Television stations showed pictures of military vehicles on their way to the border on Thursday.
The state news agency Anadolu reported at night that trucks with tanks and heavy guns had arrived on board in the border province of Kilis and taken to Turkish troops on Syrian territory. According to the pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak, the Turkish forces have also ordered the opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA) to stand by with 14,000 men. Turkey supports the FSA.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had announced the offensive on Wednesday during a speech in Ankara – however, without precise details of the beginning. So far, Turkey controls only Syrian areas west of the river Euphrates. According to Erdogan, she now wants to take action east of the Euphrates and especially against the Kurdish YPG militia, which dominates areas on the Turkish border and in the region against the terrorist militia „Islamic State“ (IS) fights. Turkey sees the YPG as an offshoot of the banned Kurdish Workers‘ Party PKK and thus as a terrorist organization.
