Kurdish Militia Continue Preventing Civilians from Fleeing Northern Syria

TEHRAN (defapress)- The Kurdish militia continued blocking the exit path of the civilian population in Northern and Northeastern Syria as the Turkish Army readies to launch a major military operation on Kurdish regions on the Eastern bank of the Euphrates River, field sources reported on Friday.

News ID: 74477

Date: 21 December 2018 - 17:56

The sources in the town of Manbij in Northeastern Aleppo reported that the Syrian Democratic forces (SDF) have started arresting the people that are fleeing SDF-held regions.

They further said that the SDF gunmen have threatened people with death penalty if they try to leave the region.

The SDF has started arresting people to prevent them from fleeing the town of Ra'as al-Ein Northwest of Hasaka near the border with Turkey, the sources went on to say, adding that the SDF has also seized a number of residential units in the village of al-Dowayerah Southwest of Ra'as al-Ein and turned them into military bases.

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the operation in Northern Syria would continue until the last of the terrorists cleared, adding that US President Donald Trump had given a positive response to Ankara's operation East of the Euphrates.

Turkey would launch a military operation East of the Euphrates River "any moment now", Erdogan stated at the mass opening ceremony at Mevlana Square in central Konya province on Monday, Middle East News reported.

Erdogan said the army completed preparations for the planned operation, adding that Turkey will do "what is necessary" regarding terror corridors East of the Euphrates River.

"We talked to [US President Donald] Trump. These terrorists have to leave areas East of the Euphrates. If they do not leave, we will dispatch them. Because they are disturbing us," he stressed.

Erdogan announced that Trump gave a positive response to Turkey's operation.

Earlier, US intelligence and diplomatic officials have urged the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SMDK) not to support the planned Turkish military operation against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) East of the Euphrates River.

Two days ago Erdogan and Trump discussed over the phone the future military operation in the East of Syria and agreed to coordinate military actions on the Turkish-Syrian border.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Washington was considering pulling its troops out of Syria. Washington is yet to comment on the statement.

The past several years have seen friction emerge between Turkey and the US due to Ankara's concerns over US support for the YPG, which Turkey views as an affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), blacklisted as a terrorist organization in Turkey, the US and the EU.

Message end/