Airstrikes: Turkish Military Enters Syrian Province
Turkey launched a ground operation across the border into northern Syria on Sunday, in a move likely to raise tensions with the United States.
Turkish officials said the troops entered the Afrin area a day after Turkish jets pounded targets there in an attempt to drive US-allied Kurdish militia from the area. “Operation Olive Branch is ongoing as planned and the ground operation has started,” the Turkish armed forces said in a statement.
Turkish forces entered the Afrin region along with the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army, according to the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency. Here, tanks are seen being transported to Hatay, southern Turkey, a province bordering Syria.
The land operation comes hours after Turkish jets targeted US-backed, Syrian-Kurdish YPG militia in the area, killing at least eight people and injuring 13, according to the Syrian Democratic Forces General Command.
The military incursion is likely to raise tensions between Turkey and the United States, which supports and openly arms Kurdish militias fighting ISIS.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the operation would be completed “in a very short time,” during a public address Sunday in the city of Bursa, according to the Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu.
