Turkish report says ground forces enter Syria

“They can not, will not, under any circumstance get American support if they do not keep that commitment”, he said. The town, which lies on the western bank of the Euphrates River where it crosses from Turkey into Syria, is one of the last important IS-held towns between Kurdish-controlled areas in northern Syria. Earlier this month, the US -backed Syria Democratic Forces seized Manbij, which is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Jarablus, from Islamic State. Turkey said they had to retreat after clearing it from IS.

“What is happening in Jarablos now isn’t fighting terrorism as Turkey claims; rather it is replacing one type of terrorism with another”, a source within the ministry told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Ankara views the PYD as an extension of Kurdish militants fighting an insurgency on its own soil, putting it at odds with Washington, which sees the group as an ally in the fight against Daesh. Daesh is the Arabic language acronym for IS.

In recent days, Turkey increased security measures on its border with Syria, deploying tanks and armored personnel carriers.

Earlier, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said some 500 Syrian rebels were massed on the Turkish side of the border in preparation for an assault, including local fighters from Jarablus.

Counter-terrorism police launched dawn raids targeting ISIS members across Istanbul on Wednesday, the Dogan news agency said.

Since January, rocket attacks on the Turkish province of Kilis from Daesh-held territory in Syria have killed at least 21 people, while terrorist attacks in Gaziantep blamed on Daesh include Saturday’s suicide bombing of a wedding that killed 54 and a auto bomb attack in May that martyred two police officers.

And while Turkey has long battled against Kurdish nationals both within and outside of its borders while the West turned a blind eye, Wednesday marks the first large-scale Turkish military operation against Kurdish militias in Syria. Authorities did not disclose the number of those detained.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasised the operation was also targeting Kurdish militia fighters strongly opposed by Ankara – but backed by the U.S. as a key ally against IS – who had also been closing in on Jarabulus.

At an event in the capital Ankara, Erdogan said in a televised speech that attacks in Syria must be stopped.

Erdogan, addressing groups that have targeted Turkey, says: “You will not succeed”.

Although the PKK is recognised as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the EU, Washington considers its Syrian branch the YPG to be an ally in the fight against DAESH.

US special operations forces inside Syria have partnered with members of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, or YPG, which Turkey considers terrorists and an extension of Kurdish militants in Turkey vying for autonomy.

“If needed, Turkey is determined to actively intervene to protect Syria’s territorial integrity”, Erdogan said.

Turkish state media, meanwhile, say the rebels were about to enter a Syrian village leading to Jarablus.

A US official told The Wall Street Journal that the operation, also supported by USA surveillance drones and special operations forces in Turkey, has “put a lid” on Turkish concerns about Kurdish advances in Jarabulus. The private NTV television said as many as 20 tanks crossed the border and that clashes were underway.

But in a note of discord, Russian Federation said it was “deeply concerned” at the situation on the border warning of a “further degeneration of the situation”.

Vice President Joe Biden is also now in Ankara, reportedly to assure Erdoğan that the U.S.is not behind the country’s recent failed military coup, and to request that Turkey “step up to do its part” against ISIS, Cole notes.

Wednesday’s visit comes at a hard time for ties between the two North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies. Turkey is demanding that Washington quickly extradite a USA -based cleric blamed for orchestrating last month’s failed coup while the United States is asking for evidence against the cleric and that Turkey allow the extradition process to take its course. The United States is asking for evidence against the cleric and asking that Turkey allow the extradition process to take its course. Kurdish YPG in Syria is identified as a hostile force by Turkey.

Wednesday’s operation puts Turkey on track for a confrontation with the Kurdish fighters in Syria.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlet Cavusoglu told a press conference in Ankara that the Turkish army would continue its efforts against the YPG, saying they were “no different” from the PKK [, which is recognized by the European Union and U.S.as a terrorist organization].

Turkey launched a major offensive against Daesh in Jarablus that started with intensive shelling and airstrikes.

The Turkish operation – named “Euphrates Shield” – began early Wednesday with Turkish artillery pounding dozens of IS group targets around Jarablus, according to the Turkish prime minister’s office. He said he hoped the operation to clear Jarablus would be completed at the soonest, but did not provide a time-frame. “Until this threat is removed and the terror threat on our border disappears”. Ankara argues that the decision was taken after fire of the Turkish city Karkamis on Tuesday.

Turkish government officials could not immediately confirm the report of the cross-border incursion.

The foreign ministry said it “condemns the crossing of the Turkey-Syria border by Turkish tanks and armoured vehicles towards the town of Jarablus with air cover from the US-led coalition and considers it a flagrant violation of Syrian sovereignty”.