Turkey opens ground assault on Syria's Kurds - SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader.

Smoke rises from the Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain as it is pictured from the Turkish town of Ceylanpinar in Sanliurfa province, Turkey.

Turkey told the United Nations Security Council in a letter seen by Reuters that its military operation would be “proportionate, measured and responsible.” The 15-member body will meet on Thursday to discuss Syria at the request of the five European members, Britain, France, Germany, Belgium and Poland.

The assault on the Kurds – for years Washington’s main allies on the ground in Syria – is potentially one of the biggest shifts in years in the Syrian war that has drawn in global and regional powers. The Kurds played a leading role in capturing territory from Islamic State, and now hold the largest swathe of Syria outside of the hands of President Bashar al-Assad.Trump’s decision to pull forces out of the way was denounced by some Kurds as a “stab in the back”.

A Turkish security source told Reuters the military offensive, dubbed “Operation Peace Spring”, opened with air strikes. Turkish howitzer fire then hit bases and ammunition depots of the Kurdish YPG militia. Turkey says the YPG, the main component of the US-backed SDF, is a terrorist group linked to Kurdish insurgents that have fought in Turkey for years.

Turkish media said several mortar shells had landed on the Turkish side of the border but there were no casualties.World powers fear the Turkish action could open a new chapter in Syria’s war and worsen regional turmoil. Ankara has said it intends to create a “safe zone” in order to return millions of refugees to Syrian soil.

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