After rocket fire – Erdogan considers ground forces against Kurdish militias

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also considering ground offensives against Kurdish positions in Syria and Iraq. There is no doubt that one is not limited to air operations, “a decision has to be made on how many troops from the ground forces to participate, and then steps are taken,” he said Monday, according to the state news agency Anadolu. . Meanwhile, Ankara reported several deaths from rocket fire from Syria.

The Turkish air force had already carried out numerous airstrikes in northern Iraq and northern Syria on Sunday evening against the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG and the outlawed Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK. At least 35 people were killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Kurdish militias had announced retaliation. On Sunday and Monday, Turkey reported shelling killing and wounding on its border with Syria.

Warnings from Washington and Moscow
Erdogan said the offensive was not discussed with the US or Russia in advance and Turkey does not need to seek permission. Moscow and Washington had previously warned Ankara of an offensive in northern Syria. Erdogan had already announced such an offensive halfway through the year. Russia is supporting government forces in the Syrian civil war, while the United States sees the YPG as a partner in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) terror militia.

The Turkish government linked its airstrikes to an attack on Istanbul’s Istiklal shopping street a week ago on Sunday. She sees the YPG and PKK as masterminds behind the attack, both of which rejected it. The investigations in Turkey are still ongoing. The Turkish government classifies the YPG and PKK as terrorist organizations.

Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said Monday that the country is under fire from Syria. Three people were killed and six injured in Gaziantep province, he said Monday. The governor of Gaziantep blamed the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG for the shelling. Kurdish activists and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported firefights with Kurdish militias and heavy Turkish shelling in the rural region of northern Aleppo and in Kobane.

Turkey’s Karkamis provincial governor said five rockets had been fired at the Turkish border area. Two people were killed and six people were injured. The broadcaster CNN Türk reported that the missiles came from the Kobane region, which is controlled by the Kurdish militia YPG. The rockets hit a school, two houses and a truck.

Berlin calls on Turkey to show restraint
Meanwhile, the German government called on Turkey to show restraint in airstrikes against Kurdish positions. “We call on Turkey to respond proportionately and to respect international law,” Foreign Minister Christofer Burger said in Berlin on Monday. Turkey and all other parties involved should “do nothing that would further exacerbate the already tense situation in northern Syria and Iraq”.

In particular, respect for international law means protecting citizens at all times, Burger said. “The reports of possible civilian casualties in these Turkish air strikes are extremely worrying.” Referring to Article 51 of the UN Charter, the spokesperson also made clear: “The right of self-defense does not include the right of retaliation.”

Source: Krone

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