Russian Federation voices concern over Turkey operation in Syria

There are roughly 2,000 USA troops in northern Syria.

Turkey had been shelling the area for two days, ahead of its declaration of a military operation on Saturday.

It is unclear whether the U.S. will act as a mediator between the Kurds and the Turks.

The start of Turkish offensive has been preceded by an intense warmonger campaign in Turkish media, and operation has a high internal policy component: Erdogan has been trying to increase its support base for months, in face of crucial elections Nfrentará next year through a decidedly nationalist policy.

The Syrian government condemned the border force, describing it in a statement on Monday as a “blatant aggression upon the sovereignty, unity and integrity of Syrian lands, as well as a clear violation of worldwide law”.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that officials were consulting Russian Federation and Iran about the use of airspace for the operation, CNN Turk reported. Tensions escalated following an announcement by the American military that the SDF would be repurposed as a “border protection force”, leading Mr Erdogan to vow he would “strangle” such a force “before it was even born”. However, this war victory has been at cost of damaging, practically irreparably, relations with Ankara, one of oldest allies Washington had in Middle East. “The focus needs to be on ISIS”, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said this week.

The Minnigh military airbase occupied by terrorist group PYD/PKK in Afrin was among the targets hit by Turkish jets, they said, adding all injured and dead taken to the hospital belong to PYD/PKK terrorist group.

Almost 350,000 Kurds from Syria’s Afrin have fled to Turkey after oppression from PYD/PKK and ISIL terror groups, Premier Binali Yildirim said on Saturday.

Notwithstanding Ankara’s support for rebels fighting against the Moscow-backed Assad regime, Turkey and Russian Federation have been working together to end the Syrian conflict allegedly. “Also, we provide the United Nations with comprehensive information”.

Syria’s air force suffered a number of plane and helicopter losses in the government’s war on opposition areas inside the country and the Islamic State group.

“We’ve completed preparations to wage this battle to liberate our invaded Arab lands from the terrorist separatist gangs”, Lt. Col. Abdul Munem Turki, commander of the Northern Division rebel faction, said in a conversation using the WhatsApp messaging service.

However, no details of the conversations have been provided. They were also working to minimize possible losses for Turkish troops, he said, without providing details.

But it was still unclear what form a Turkish ground operation will take, given the considerable political and military risks. USA had recently announced its plan to raise 30,000- strong army with Syrian Kurds associated with YPG, linked to the outlawed Turkish Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The Turkish news agency Anadolu reported that Russian forces were leaving the area and that the Turkish army’s chief of staff, Hulusi Akar, met with senior Russian defense officials in Moscow on Thursday to seek Russia’s support.

Turkey considers the YPG to be an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has carried out a deadly, decades-long insurgency in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast.