Konflikten i Syrien

The Arab-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported by the United States, on Saturday issued a statement expressing readiness to defend themselves and the Kurdish people against the Turkish military operation near the Syrian town of Afrin.

“If attacked, we will have no choice but to defend ourselves and our people, but we state in front of the world that we harbor no hostile intent towards Turkey and would only take measures in our own defense in the event of hostile operations against our people,” the statement said, responding to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s announcement of the de facto launch of a military operation against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its affiliates Democratic Union Party (PYD) and People’s Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria

#AfrinOp: 3 #SDF/#PKK militants surrender to rebels in Mare' city.

“The TSK (Turkish Armed Forces) has started airborne operations,” Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said at a party congress on Saturday, quoted by Hurriyet. Yildirim said eight F-16 aircraft were involved in the aerial sortie, which is ironic when one considers that Turkey is using US-made warplanes to bomb a US-backed military organization which has been provided with weapons made in the US.