ANKARA: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the start of the attack on Twitter, labelling it “Operation Peace Spring”.
“Our mission is to prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border, and to bring peace to the area,” Erdogan wrote, adding that the operation would target Kurdish militants and the Islamic State group (IS).
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, reported that Turkish air strikes had hit the Ras al-Ain area.
Turkey’s Anadolu news agency reported shelling of Kurdish militant positions in the border town of Tal Abyad.
Syria’s Kurds called up civilians on Wednesday to defend against the assault, while President Donald Trump insisted the United States had not abandoned its Kurdish allies who were a crucial ally against IS.
