Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Turkey will save northern Syria from the cruelty of YPG/PKK terrorist organizations, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Friday.
“The way we freed Afrin, we will save other lands of northern Syria [such as] Manbij, Ayn al-Arab, Tel Abyad from the cruelty of separatist [YPG/PKK] terrorist organization,” Erdoğan said at a graduation ceremony of Gendarmerie and Coast Guard Academy in the capital Ankara.
“Now, they are digging trenches around Manbij,” Erdoğan said, referring to the terrorist group YPG/PKK. “They are digging their own graves,” he added.
“Apparently, they will not leave a lot of work for us,” the Turkish president said.
On Jan. 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to free northwestern Syrian city of Afrin of YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists. On March 18, Turkish troops and the Free Syrian Army liberated the Afrin city center.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the death of some 40,000 people, including those of women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.
At least 12 PKK terrorists were "neutralized" in counter-terrorism operations in Turkey and northern Iraq over the past week, the Turkish military said on Friday.Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.In a statement, the Turkish General Staff said seven weapon pits and shelters used by the terrorists were destroyed in the operations carried out from Oct. 18 to Oct. 26.A total of 4,585 terrorists have been neutralized since the launch of Turkey's Operation Olive Branch in Syria’s Afrin region, the statement added.Turkey neutralizes some 14,700 terrorists over three yearsOn Jan. 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to free Afrin of YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists. On March 18, Turkish troops and the Free Syrian Army liberated the Afrin district center.Meanwhile, Turkish and U.S. soldiers conducted 66 independent patrolling in the area between Operation Euphrates Shield region and Manbij since June 18 as part of the “Manbij Roadmap” and “Manbij Security Principles,” the army said.The Manbij deal between Turkey and the U.S. focuses on the withdrawal of YPG/PKK terrorists from the city to stabilize the region, which is in the northeast of Aleppo province in northern Syria.Under pressure, terrorist PKK could be on last legsThe joint training of the U.S. and Turkish soldiers continued since Oct.9, the statement said, adding the joint patrolling will begin after completion of training.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the death of some 40,000 people, including those of women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.
Turkish forces ‘neutralize’ 12 PKK terrorists in a week
A U.N.-led delivery of aid, critically needed by thousands of civilians stranded in a camp on the Syrian-Jordanian border, that community leaders were expecting on Saturday has been postponed, a U.N. official said on Friday."The planned joint U.N.-Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) humanitarian convoy to Rukban camp has been delayed forlogistical and security reasons," Fadwa AbedRabou Baroud, a Damascus-based U.N. official, told reporters.In the last three years, tens of thousands of people have fled to the camp from Daesh terrorists-held parts of Syria being targeted by Russian and U.S.-led coalition air strikes. Video: Jordan’s Rukban: Death camp for Syrians in the desert
UN led aid convoy to Syria's Rukban camp postponed
Refugee camps in Syria's northwestern Idlib province near the Turkish border are struggling with heavy flooding after several days of torrential rainfall, according to an Anadolu Agency correspondent based in the region.Many of the flimsy tents erected in Idlib’s Al-Ihsan refugee camp -- currently home to some 1,000 people -- have been inundated by floodwater, rendering blankets and bedding completely unusable.Eleven-year-old Ali Izziyah told Anadolu Agency that he and his family had been forced to seek refuge at the camp after Assad regime forces had entered their village in Hama province’s rural countryside.UN body welcomes upcoming Istanbul Summit on Syria"We need tents, stoves and coal,” he said. “It’s very difficult living here, especially when it’s cold.”Ittihad Ali, a mother of five who has lived at the camp for over a year, said she and her children were desperate for heating equipment with winter just around the corner.“Life is really harsh here; the conditions we face are almost unlivable,” she said. “We will be left out in the cold, then starve. This place lacks the most basic amenities.”“My children have been chronically ill since we arrived here,” the struggling mother lamented. “Now the heavy rains have turned everything into mud.”Summit on Syria to explore ways for political solutionAzzam Oleywi, another camp resident, recalled his dismay upon waking up for dawn prayers -- along with his companions -- to discover the camp inundated with rainwater."The rain was pouring down on our sleeping children,” he said.Noting that most camp residents were deep in debt, Oleywi told Anadolu Agency: “There are no beds, pillows or tarpaulins. We have nothing. There are no employment opportunities here.”“Living in the camp is really difficult. There are just too many people here,” he added. “I hope those who imposed these conditions on us share the same fate.”
Refugees in Syria’s Idlib struggle with rains, flooding
The UN World Food Program (WFP) on Friday welcomed the upcoming quadrilateral Syria summit to be held in Istanbul on Saturday, expressing hopes that “civilians will be the priority of the discussion.”The meeting to be hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will see the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Emmanuel Macron.In a news conference in Geneva, Herve Verhoosel, senior spokesperson of the WFP said: “WFP hopes that civilians will be the priority of the discussion, re-emphasizing that rebuilding communities and solving the hunger crisis in Syria is hinged on ending the conflict that continuously fosters it.”Summit on Syria to explore ways for political solutionVerhoosel recalled that more than seven years of war has pushed millions of Syrians into hunger and poverty. “In September, WFP was able to reach over 3 million Syrians with food aid. Continued food assistance for millions of families is vital for stability and security in Syria,” he said. “For those who are beginning to return to their country and communities, developing active markets, jobs and support is essential.”The spokesperson stated that WFP needs reliable and predictable funding, saying: “$136 million is needed from now until March 2019.”Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.World owes Turkey for hosting refugees: Canadian envoy
UN body welcomes upcoming Istanbul Summit on Syria