Turkish ground troops enter Afrin enclave

Turkish ground troops have crossed into northern Syria as part of Ankara’s campaign to rid the border area of Kurdish fighters, Turkey’s PM says. Binali Yildirim said the aim was to establish a 30km (19-mile) “safe zone” deep inside Syria, Turkish reports say. But the Kurdish YPG militia says it has repelled Turkish troops in […]

Turkish ground troops have crossed into northern Syria as part of Ankara’s campaign to rid the border area of Kurdish fighters, Turkey’s PM says.

Binali Yildirim said the aim was to establish a 30km (19-mile) “safe zone” deep inside Syria, Turkish reports say.

But the Kurdish YPG militia says it has repelled Turkish troops in Afrin. Turkey’s operation, announced Saturday, risks increasing tensions with the US, which was supporting the YPG in the fight against Islamic State jihadists.

The YPG (Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units) is part of a US-backed alliance with a number of ethnic Arab militias called the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF has said it will have no choice but to defend itself if attacked.

Turkish troops, accompanied by pro-Turkey rebels from the Free Syrian Army, have already advanced some 5km (3 miles) into Syrian territory, state-run Anadolu news agency reported. No further details about the 30km security zone were given.