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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Turkish forces ‘surround’ Syrian Kurdish city |
| 2018-03-14 |
| [IsraelTimes] Ankara says troops blocking all exits from Afrin in major offensive against YPG militia, as elsewhere civilians evacuated from besieged Eastern Ghouta ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... said Tuesday its army and allied rebels had surrounded the Kurdish city of Afrin in northern Syria, raising the prospect of another devastating siege in the country’s long conflict. In a statement Tuesday, the Birusk Hasakeh, a YPG front man inside Afrin, denied the city had been totally besieged but said the last route leading out of it was being shelled heavily. "If they do encircle the city, we will be ready for a long fight. We will resist," he told AFP. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said ’Exit route’ for civilians? Sealing off Afrin city would be a key step in Turkey’s "Olive Branch" operation, launched on January 20 and aimed at ousting the YPG, a vital partner for a US-backed coalition against the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... group, but seen by Ankara as "terrorists." It remains unclear what Turkey’s next move will be, but it may lay siege to Afrin while allowing civilians to leave to avoid a high-casualty offensive. The Britannia-based Observatory said Ankara was seeking to push civilians into either rebel-held or Syrian regime territory to allow for a "speedy military operation." Abu Jaafar, a commander in the pro-Ankara forces waging Operation Olive Branch, said rebels were considering leaving an "exit route" for civilians. "We will allow civilians... to leave so they will not be hurt in case [Kurdish] fighters hold out in the villages, neighborhoods, or buildings inside Afrin," he told AFP. Hundreds of civilians were seen fleeing Afrin on Monday, with cars and buses piled high with personal belongings heading to regime-held areas further east. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #2 We'll find out soon enough whether Tillerson was behind the non-response to Operation Olive Branch. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2018-03-14 13:49 |
| #1 Perhaps "unknown fighter jets" need to pound the Turks back a bit? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2018-03-14 08:38 |