Turkish military convoys arrives at Syrian border ahead of planned assault on Kurdish militants

Turkish military convoys continued their advance towards the Turkey-Syria border on Saturday ahead of an expected assault on Kurdish militants in Syria.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab & agencies

29 December, 2018

Turkey is massing troops on the Turkey-Syria border for an assault on Kurdish militants [AFP]

Turkish military units continued their advance towards the Turkey-Syria border on Saturday, ahead of an imminent assault on Syrian Kurdish rebels.

Footage from Turkey's private Ihlas News Agency (IHA) showed convoys of Turkish military vehicles continuing the buildup in the early hours of the morning.

Convoys of military vehicles, including army trucks carrying tanks, were seen on roads in the southeastern Sanliurfa province, from where Kurdish-held areas in northeastern Syria east of the river Euphrates can be reached.

According to the IHA, the latest convoy of more than 50 tanks arrived at the 20th Armoured Brigade Command near the border.

Over the past week Turkey has amassed troops along the Syrian border in preparation for a potential offensive against Kurdish militants.

The military buildup follows US President Donald Trump's decision to 2,000 US ground forces from Syria, stunning both White House insiders and US allies.

The move was greeted with approval by Turkey, which will now have a freer rein to target Kurdish fighters from the US-backed People's Protection Units (YPG).

Turkey views the US-backed YPG militia as a sister "terrorist" organisation of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency inside Turkey since 1984.

The PKK is blacklisted as a terror group by Ankara, the US and the European Union.