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Turkish and U.S. troops on Thursday began their first round of joint patrols in the northern Syrian city of Manbij, as part of a deal to rid the area of the YPG/PKK terrorist group, Turkey's national defense minister announced.
"The joint patrols of Turkish and U.S. troops -- on which we have made plans and completed training and which we said would start -- began at 3:53 p.m. local time [1353GMT]," Hulusi Akar said at the Turkish Parliament.
Turkish and U.S. troops patrolled around the Saju Stream, which separates the Manbij frontline from the city of Jarabulus, an area falling under Turkey's Operation Euphrates Shield, according to Anadolu Agency reporters on the ground.
Terror group YPG/PKK announced it has halted operations against Daesh in Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria as a reaction to Turkey's anti-terror operations in Ayn al-Arab (Kobani), northern Syria.Using the acronym SDG, the terror group in a Wednesday statement on its social media account used the Turkish operation as an excuse to cover up its failure against Daesh.The group also attempted to gain U.S. support against Turkey through blackmail.With its message "if you cannot prevent Turkey, we cannot last in Deir ez-Zor", it aims to gain sympathy and support of the U.S. army.The YPG/PKK used the same strategy during Turkey’s other anti-terror Operation Olive Branch in Syria’s northwestern Afrin province.After the operation was initiated, the terror group announced it had ended attacks against Daesh on east of the Euphrates and south of Haseke province.Since Sept. 11, the YPG/PKK and Daesh have been trading blows, especially in Deir ez-Zor’s rural Hajin district, which is located in east of the province.19 terrorists 'neutralized' in Turkey over 24-hr periodPKK terrorists accelerate weapons deliveries to Syria’s Tal Abyad as Turkey begins strikesThe YPG/PKK carried out intense attacks with U.S. air cover and French artillery to completely remove Daesh presence in oil-rich Deir ez-Zor province.It attacked Hajin district -- the last stronghold of Daesh in the province -- with around 6,000 terrorists.Hundreds of YPG/PKK members were also killed in clashes which took place in city center of Hajin, and town centers of Siife, Bagoz and Suse, as well as the villages of Abu-Hassan and Abu-Hatir.Despite the U.S. and French support, the terror group could not proceed in the region. It had to retreat from the areas -- due to frequent attacks of Daesh terrorists -- shortly after it captured them.The only area the YPG/PKK retained was Bagoz town center which it had seized on Sept. 27.On Wednesday, Turkish howitzers fired artillery shells on terror positions in Ayn al-Arab region in a cross-border shooting from Sanliurfa, southeastern Turkey and neutralized four PKK terrorists and wounded six others.Turkish authorities have been pointing out a possible move on east of the Euphrates River, as it aims to free its borders from terror threat.'PKK/YPG will be buried in its own trenches in Manbij'Turkish forces nab five PKK terrorists alive in bomb-laden vehicle
PKK uses Turkey as excuse to end anti-Daesh ops in Syria
Since June 18, the Turkish Armed Forces have carried out 68 individual patrols in Manbij.
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 northern Syria's Aleppo province.
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.
Operation Euphrates Shield, which began in August 2016 and ended in March 2017, aimed to eliminate the terrorist threat along the border in the northern Syrian regions of Jarabulus, Al-Rai, Al-Bab, and Azaz with the use of the Free Syrian Army, backed by Turkish artillery and air cover.
At least 19 terrorists have been "neutralized" in Turkey over a 24-hour period, according to an Interior Ministry statement on Thursday.Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.The statement said 10 terrorists were neutralized in Sirnak, four in Diyarbakir, four in Batman and one in Gaziantep, the statement added.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 deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children.Turkish jets neutralize 2 terrorists in northern IraqTurkish police seizes over nine kg of cocaine from shipPKK terrorists accelerate weapons deliveries to Syria’s Tal Abyad after Turkey begins strikes'PKK/YPG will be buried in its own trenches in Manbij'Turkish forces nab five PKK terrorists alive in bomb-laden vehicle
19 terrorists 'neutralized' in Turkey over 24-hr period
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorists have accelerated efforts to transfer weapons received from the U.S. under the pretext of fighting Daesh to Syria’s northeastern town of Tal Abyad. The shipments have escalated particularly over the last two days, after Turkey started to shell PKK/YPG terror positions in the city and the east of the Euphrates River on Tuesday.A commander of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) Colonel İmed Said Dede spoke exclusively to Yeni Şafak daily and evaluated the details of the terrorist activities and Turkey’s sweeping operation in the region, stating that if even a single Turkish soldier crosses the border, PKK terrorists will swiftly flee to Syria’s Resulayn.Turkish forces nab five PKK terrorists alive in bomb-laden vehicleLocals resist PKK occupationNoting the rage of tribes against PKK terrorists in the region, Dede said, “If the U.S. insists on keeping - PKK terrorists under its tutelage, it means that they are committing an offense. The U.S. cannot back this terror organization despite public’s upsurge of wrath and backlash against invasions.”He also stated that PKK terrorists stow weapons in locals’ houses and underground tunnels.“There are two U.S. military bases in the region located in Tel Abyad-Tel Semin and in the southern part of Ayn Isa. Additionally, France has two military bases in Sirrin and Çelebi. American and French troops should withdraw after the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and Free Syrian Army (FSA) initiate the military operation. They can’t continue to support a terror structure against the will of millions of Syrians and a legitimized government,” Dede said.The U.S. has supplied the PYD terror organization and its armed wing, the YPG, with thousands of truckloads of weapons to allegedly use in the fight against Daesh, despite Ankara’s warnings that the fact they are the Syrian offshoots of the PKK terror organization.PKK/YPG digging trenches in Manbij despite withdrawal promise: DefMinUS concerned over Turkish shelling of PKK/YPG positionsUS evades answer on who controls Syria's Tal Abyad
PKK terrorists accelerate weapons deliveries to Syria’s Tal Abyad as Turkey begins strikes
The PKK/PYD/YPG terror group should know that they would be buried in their own trenches in Syria's Manbij region, Turkey's national defense minister said on Thursday."The terror group is digging ditches in Manbij as they have done in Afrin, despite promises made for PKK/PYD/YPG's withdrawal from Manbij," Hulusi Akar told lawmakers in the planning and budget commission at the parliament. "The terror group [YPG/PKK] should know that it will be buried in the trenches it has dug," he said.Akar added that Turkey still faces terror threats as Iraqi and Kurdish regional governments have not taken effective steps against PKK in northern Iraq.Turkish forces nab five PKK terrorists alive in bomb-laden vehicle"In this regard, our operations will continue until the terror threat from Iraqi territories is defeated," said Akar.The Manbij deal between Turkey and the U.S. focuses on the withdrawal of YPG/PKK terrorists from the city to stabilize the region in the northeast of Aleppo province in northern Syria.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 women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.US evades answer on who controls Syria's Tal AbyadFETÖAkar also said that Turkey dismissed a total of 15,153 army personnel over their links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) since the defeated coup attempt in 2016, of whom 323 were reinstated following dismissal.According to the Turkish government, FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.Since the failed coup, operations have been ongoing in the military, police and judiciary as well as in state institutions across the country to arrest suspects with alleged links to FETÖ.Turkish ship to drill for oil and gas in Mediterranean: ministerTurkey, guarantor of peace in Cyprus islandAkar said that Turkey would never allow any step or fait accompli in Cyprus, Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean."Our interlocutors should know that any project without Turkey and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the Aegean and the Mediterranean will not be successful," said Akar.Akar also called on the actors in the eastern Mediterranean region to stop provocation that "will put the region at risk".On Oct. 18, the Turkish navy prevented a Greek frigate from interfering in the activity of the Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa, a Turkish seismic and drilling vessel working in the Eastern Mediterranean.The activity, which had been announced by Turkish authorities, met with Greek interference.Turkey has consistently contested the Greek Cypriot administration’s unilateral drilling activity in the Eastern Mediterranean, saying Turkish Cypriots also have rights to the resources in the area.Akar stressed that Turkish forces would continue to protect Turkey’s and Turkish Cypriots' rights in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean."Turkish Armed Forces will continue to be the guarantor of peace and security in Cyprus island in accordance with international warranty and alliance agreements," he added.Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup was followed by violence against the island's Turks and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power.It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including the latest initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece and the U.K. collapsing in 2017.Turkey blames Greek Cypriot intransigence for the talks' failure, also faulting the European Union for admitting Cyprus as a divided island into the union in 2004 after Greek Cypriot voters rejected a peace deal.On the purchase of S-400, Akar said: "We have reached a certain point in the process for the supplying of S-400 systems from the Russian Federation in order to meet our urgent air defense system needs as soon as possible.""With these systems which are expected to be delivered in 2019, our country will have gained a significant air defense talent," he added.
'PKK/YPG will be buried in its own trenches in Manbij'