Yesterday in the cover of night the Turkish operation dubbed”Operation peace springs” against Kurdish militants in northern Syria began.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday that “The Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Syrian National Army (rebel groups backed by Ankara), just launched #OperationPeaceSpring,” Erdogan wrote on Twitter in English.
He said the offensive targeted Kurdish militants and the Daesh group in northern Syria.
It began with the launch of some precisely targeted airstrikes and then later the same evening the land army moved into place.
After Turkish warplanes and artillery pounded Kurdish YPG targets with airstrikes and artillery barrages on Wednesday afternoon, Turkish troops and their Syrian rebel allies entered northeast Syria on Wednesday night, the defence ministry said, starting a land offensive against Kurdish militia fighters.
The Turkish army has hit a total of 181 militant targets with airstrikes and howitzers since the start of the operation, the Turkish defence ministry said late on Wednesday night.
The Kurdish-led force in northeast Syria confronted and “repelled ” the Turkish ground attack, Mustafa Bali, spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces, said on Twitter.
Although President Erdoğan dubbed the invasion “Operation Peace Spring.” Initial reports suggest it is anything but.
Panic swept across northern Syria as Turkey’s warplanes pounded Kurdish towns and artillery fired across the border, in order to “soften up” the terrain for a ground offensive. The S.D.F. posted videos on social media of the aftermath, showing fires, destruction, and bodies on the ground, but non of these have been verified.
Stay up to date with the latest developments from Syria by following us on social media.
PLEASE FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND SHARE WTX NEWS PLATFORMS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIKE US:
Facebook – Please like our page
Twitter – Please follow us and Tweet us, we would love to hear from you
Instagram – Follow our pages