Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Wednesday morning the country's military offensive into northern Syria hd begun shortly after the United States withdrew its military presence into the region.
Erdogan tweeted the mission is designed "to prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border, and to bring peace to the area" and preserve Syria's territorial integrity and liberate local communities from terrorists."
Türk Silahli Kuvvetleri'miz Suriye Milli Ordusu'yla birlikte Suriye'nin kuzeyinde PKK/YPG ve Deas terör örgütlerine karsi #BarisPinariHarekati'ni baslatmistir.
— Recep Tayyip Erdogan (@RTErdogan) October 9, 2019
Amacimiz güney sinirimizda olusturulmaya çalisilan terör koridorunu yok etmek ve bölgeye baris ve huzuru getirmektir.
The Kurds, who have fought alongside U.S forces against ISIS, are in charge of the camps where thousands of ISIS fighters and their families are being held.
The media spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces said there is "a huge panic" because "Turkish warplanes have started to carry out airstrikes on civilian areas."
Turkish warplanes have started to carry out airstrikes on civilian areas. There is a huge panic among people of the region.
— Mustafa Bali (@mustefabali) October 9, 2019
Picture from Syria’s Ras al-ayn following Turkish airstrikes, broadcasted on Turkish TV pic.twitter.com/GjBY989C7D
— Ragip Soylu (@ragipsoylu) October 9, 2019
The White House announced late Sunday night the withdrawal was happening because "Turkey will soon be moving forward with its long-planned operation into Northern Syria" and the United States will not be involved. They said Turkey will be in charge of the camps ISIS fighters are being held in.
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