Publish date14 Oct 2019 - 9:14
Story Code : 439945

Syrian army deploys forces to north to confront Turkish ops

Syrian army has deployed several units to northern borders with Turkey in a bid to confront aggressions by Turkish forces allied by the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) launched against Kurdish-populated towns.
Syrian army deploys forces to north to confront Turkish ops
Syria’s official news agency SANA reported on Sunday evening that Syrian Arab Army units have begun moving to the territory “to confront Turkish army aggression.”
 
The new development came after reports emerged noting that representatives from the Damascus government and the Kurdish-led and so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been holding talks in the strategic Hmeimim air base in Syria's western coastal province of Latakia.

Ahmed Suleiman, a senior member of the Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party (KDPP) in Syria, told Reuters on Sunday that the talks were underway, expressing hope for a deal that would halt a Turkish attack.

Suleiman, however, did not say whether he or his party, which is independent from the SDF, had participated in the negotiations.

The top KDPP member
went on to say that an agreement between the Syrian government delegates and the Kurds would “halt the ongoing war and especially its catastrophic and dangerous consequences,” adding that the talks could be moved to Damascus.

“We have confirmed from the start of the (Turkish) invasion that we will study all options that could spare our people ethnic cleansing,” Mustafa Bali, the head of the SDF media office, said when asked about the KDPP member’s comments.

According to Reuters, Syrian government officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Separately, a high-ranking Kurdish politician and party leader was killed in northeastern Syria.

Hevrin Khalaf, the secretary-general of the Future Syria Party, was killed during an ambush by Turkish-backed FSA militants during an attempt to capture a point on the international M4 road, the Kurdish-Language Kurdistan 24 television news network reported.

Khalaf was reportedly killed on the road to the city of Qamishli,local media outlets added.

“A group of Turkish mercenaries tried to control the M4 road and killed many people, and Hevrin was one of them,” Kurdistan 24 said.

Moreover, SANA reported that a large number of people have lost their lives and sustained serious injuries when Turkish fighter
jets struck a commercial district in Syria’s northeastern province of Hasakah.

The report, citing local sources, said the military aircraft bombarded Souq al-Mughlaq marketplace in the town of Ras al-Ayn, claiming the lives of dozens of people. There were reportedly foreign journalists among the victims.

A video published on social media networks showed tens of injured people, with charred and mutilated bodies strewn everywhere.

The Turkish Defense Ministry also said on Sunday that a total of 525 Kurdish militants from the People's Protection Units (YPG) had been neutralized ever since Turkey's operation in northern Syria started.
 
Turkish authorities often use the word “neutralized” to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

On October 9, Turkish military forces and Ankara-backed FSA militants launched a long-threatened cross-border invasion of northeast Syria in a declared attempt to push YPG militants away from border areas.

Ankara views the US-backed YPG as a terrorist organization tied to the homegrown Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been seeking an autonomous Kurdish region in Turkey since 1984. The YPG constitutes the backbone of the SDF.
 
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