Turkish Army's Special Forces Line Up Behind Border with Syria for Battle with Kurds

TEHRAN (defapress)- Several military convoys of the Turkish Army's Special Forces arrived behind the border with Syria in preparation for imminent operations against the Kurds in Eastern Euphrates region.

News ID: 75253

Date: 28 January 2019 - 16:35

"The Turkish army has dispatched massive military convoys comprising units of Special Forces to Hatay region across the border with Syria," military sources said.

The sources also said that the new military convoys comprising troops and military equipment have been sent to Gaziantep region in Southern Turkey.

Meantime, Turkish newspaper Yeni Shafaq reported that phases to create a safe zone in Northern Syria will start soon.

It pointed to the imminent military operation against Kurdish fighters in Northern Syria, and said that the upcoming operations will start from Manbij and will be extended to Tal Abyaz in Raqqa and Ra'as al-Ain in Hasaka province.

In a relevant development on Sunday, the Turkish Army and its allied militants engaged in heavy clashes with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the surrounding areas of the city of Manbij in Northeastern Aleppo.

The Kurdish-language Hawar News reported that heavy clashes followed after the Turkish Army and its allied militants known as 'Euphrates Shield' targeted and attacked the military positions of Manbij  Military Council along Sojour control line in the outskirts of Manbij city in Northeastern Aleppo.

It noted that the villages of Sokria Kabira, Halounji and Mohsena to the North and Northwestern parts of Manbij city came under attack by the Turkish Army and its allied militants.

Meantime, battlefield sources reported heavy clashes between Turkish Army troops and militants of Manbij military council near the village of Halvanji in Northern Manbij.

Several Ankara-backed militants were also killed and wounded in fierce clashes with the Kurdish fighters in al-Malekia front and Mara'anaz as well as Ma'areh in Northern Aleppo.

In a relevant development earlier this month, the Turkish army dispatched a new convoy of forces and equipment to borders with Syria's Hasaka to counter the Kurdish militias.

The Turkish army forwarded a long convoy of military vehicles to borders with Syria near the Syrian town of Ra'as al-Ain that is under the Kurdish fighters' control in Northwestern Hasaka.

The Turkish convoy, including a number of vehicles, Tanks, armored vehicles and a large volume of military hardware, entered the Kilis region.

The Turkish military is preparing to kick off military operations against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Eastern Euphrates.

Meantime, the Arabic-language Al-Manar news website reported that the Turkish Army has fired artillery and rockets at SDF's military positions in Silvaha region in Ra'as al-Ain in Northwestern Hasaka.

The sources said that the Turkish Army attacks on the SDF have taken place after SDF fired at Jilanbiner region in Turkey just opposite to Ra'as al-Ain.

Local sources, meantime, reported that the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrested a number of people in Hasaka and Raqqa provinces after accusing them of cooperating with the Ankara forces.

Hawar news had reported earlier this month that the Turkey-backed militants continued shelling the strongholds of the US-backed Kurdish militia in Manbij region in Northeastern Aleppo regardless of the US support for the Kurds.

It added that gunmen of the Turkey-led Euphrates Shield Force targeted the positions of the Manbij Military Council from the village of Tokhar in Northeastern Aleppo.

It further said that the Euphrates Shield forces, deployed in the village of al-Mohsenli, targeted Kurdish militias' strongholds in al-Sajour region.

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