Turkey continues attacks on Kurdish militias in Syria and Iraq Pope fires entire leadership of Caritas Internationalis

The Turkish army has carried out airstrikes on Kurdish fighters from the Syrian-Kurdish militia YPG and the Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK for the fourth day in a row.

There are growing signs that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could also send ground troops across the border. “The operations we are conducting with our planes, guns and armed drones are just the beginning”, Erdogan said on Wednesday. Activists also reported shelling of a Russian base.

Since Sunday, Turkey has launched attacks on Kurdish militia positions in Syria and Iraq, which it blames for a November 13 attack in central Istanbul. Ankara attacks targets in regions under YPG control. Turkey sees the YPG as an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK. The PKK is also considered a terrorist organization in Germany, while the YPG is not. The United States sees the YPG as a partner in the fight against the terror militia of the Islamic State (IS).

Turkey’s defense ministry said it had attacked 471 targets since the latest military offensive began in Iraq and Syria. In total, “254 terrorists were neutralized” Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Wednesday. He gave no information about possible civilian casualties. The information about the attacks and the number of victims could not be independently verified.

A Kurdish fighter has been killed in drone strikes on Kurdish positions in northern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Wednesday. The man was killed in an attack on a YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) liaison office at a Russian base. Three Kurdish fighters and a Russian soldier were also injured. There was initially no comment from Russia.

According to the activists, several oil and gas installations in northern Syria were also hit by Turkish drones. Turkish grenades also fell near a prison in the city of Al-Kamischli, where supporters of the terrorist group IS are also being held.

According to the state news agency Anadolu, projectiles have again fallen on Turkish territory. Three rockets were fired from northern Syria by Kurdish militias and hit the southeastern Turkish province of Kilis. There were no injuries. According to Turkish sources, three people were killed in previous attacks.

Erdogan gave no hope of easing military action. Turkey is more determined than ever to close its entire southern border with a “security line” against attacks, Erdogan said on Wednesday. During a military operation against the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG in northern Syria in 2019, Turkey wanted to create a zone along its border from which all Kurdish militias would have to withdraw. From Turkey’s point of view, this approximately 30 kilometer deep zone should extend eastwards from the Euphrates River for more than 400 kilometers to the Iraqi border.

The Turkish president said he was considering a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. “A meeting with Assad is possible.” Until recently, Erdogan had always profiled himself as a clear opponent of Assad, who receives support from Russia in the Syrian civil war, among other things. (saw/sda/dpa)