ISTANBUL, Oct 14 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said that, Turkish forces would “go down to a depth of 30-35 km” into Syrian territory, as planned under Ankara’s safe-zone project.
“Then, the operation would be completed, after taking control of Hasaka and Ayn al-Arab,” Erdogan said.
He announced that, Turkish forces and their allies from the Syrian rebels, had so far taken control of 109 square km of land in Syria, including 17 villages around Tel Abyad.
Since the operation started, the Turkish-led forces have killed 440 fighters of the Kurdish militia, while two Turkish soldiers and 16 Syrian fighters have lost their lives, said the Turkish leader.
In another development, the Syrian army started moving towards the north, to “confront the Turkish aggression on Syrian soil,” Syrian state TV reported.
Press reports said earlier that, the Syrian army would enter two key Kurdish cities in northern Syria, Manbij and Ayn al-Arab, after a deal was reached between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Russia about the entry of the Syrian army into the two cities.
A well-informed Kurdish source also confirmed that the Syrian army would assume control over Manbij and Ayn al-Arab, both are key Kurdish-held cities.
The Syrian army’s move was viewed as part of its bid to strip Turkey of its pretext, to attack the Kurdish-controlled areas in northern Syria.
