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Turkish operation against Syrian Kurds has begun: Erdogan
ISTANBUL, Oct 9, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The Turkish operation against Kurdish
militants in northern Syria has begun, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said
Wednesday.
“The Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Syrian National Army (rebel
groups backed by Ankara), just launched #OperationPeaceSpring,” Erdogan wrote
on Twitter in English.
He said the offensive targeted Kurdish militants and the Islamic State
group in northern Syria.
“Our mission is to prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our
southern border, and to bring peace to the area,” he wrote.
Turkey has long been planning military action against Kurdish forces in
northern Syria due to their ties with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK),
which has fought a bloody insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1945 hrs