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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Turkish army suffers deadliest day in Syria's Afrin |
| 2018-02-04 |
| [Aljazeera] Turkey says it has suffered its deadliest day yet in northern Syria since launching its offensive against YPG Kurdish fighters there more than two weeks ago. On Saturday, eight Turkish soldiers were killed, according to a Turkish army statement. Some died after their tank came under fire from Syrian Kurdish forces. Turkey wants to push the YPG, which it says are "terrorists", out of Afrin to create a buffer zone along its southern border. YPG fighters targeted the Turkish army tank in Sheikh Haruz, northeast of Afrin, killing five soldiers. Three other soldiers were killed in fighting elsewhere in Afrin. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim promised to retaliate in a statement on Twitter. "They will pay for this twice as much. We have given the necessary response instantly, and we continue to do so," Yildirim said. Immediately after the attack at Sheikh Haruz, an air operation targeting YPG positions and weapon storages in the area was launched, the army said. Turkey's Operation Olive Branch began on January 20 along with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to clear armed Kurdish groups and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) fighters from Afrin in northwestern Syria. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #6 F**k the Turks. They deserve all the hell the Kurds can unleash at them. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2018-02-04 23:24 |
| #5 good take. If the Kurds don't get what they want under THIS Admin, they likely won't in my lifeime |
| Posted by: Frank G 2018-02-04 20:41 |
| #4 Putin and Erdogan exchanged words for a bit. Then Russia shot down a Turkish jet. Upon which Erdogan stood down. It might take something similar by USAF or USN to send the Turks scurrying back across the border. Whether Trump wants to go that far is an open question. While PYD is ostensibly atheist, the Kurds are probably keeping their fingers crossed that Trump serves as Allah ex machina in delivering them from Erdogan. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2018-02-04 20:23 |
| #3 We should provide the Kurds a no-flyzone. Duty 2 protect, eh? |
| Posted by: Bugs the Low-priced1241 2018-02-04 19:30 |
| #2 Turkey needs to get its ass kicked on this. I have no sympathy. Turks always treat minorities poorly. The Turks I had to deal with in Germany during my tours there were always rude and insulting. I hope the YPG makes them pay dearly for this stupidity. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2018-02-04 18:01 |
| #1 Tirkey has no answer to the ATGM that the Kurds are using daily to desttoy tank after tank after tank. |
| Posted by: Unart Glusong4283 2018-02-04 12:20 |