- Title: Air raids, artillery hit border town as Turkey launches push into Syria
- Date: 9th October 2019
- Summary: TAL ABYAD, SYRIA (AS SEEN FROM AKCAKALE, TURKEY) (OCTOBER 9, 2019) (REUTERS) EXPLOSION SEEN IN DISTANCE, SMOKE RISING VARIOUS OF SMOKE RISING FROM AREA AS TARGETS ARE BEING HIT, AUDIO OF EXPLOSION VARIOUS OF SMOKE RISING BEHIND BUILDINGS AND TREES SMOKE BILLOWING OVER SYRIA-TURKEY BORDER WALL VARIOUS OF SMOKE RISING FROM GROUND
- Embargoed: 23rd October 2019 17:17
- Keywords: Turkey Syria operation air strike Syrian border town Tal Abyad Operation Peace Spring
- Location: TAL ABYAD, SYRIA (AS SEEN FROM AKCAKALE, TURKEY)
- City: TAL ABYAD, SYRIA (AS SEEN FROM AKCAKALE, TURKEY)
- Country: Turkey
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA001B0DNPZB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Explosions rocked Syria's border town of Tal Abyad on Wednesday (October 9) as Turkey began a military operation against Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria.
A Reuters cameraman in the Turkish town of Akcakale saw several explosions across the border in the Syrian town of Tal Abyad, where a witness reported people fleeing en masse.
Turkey had been poised to enter northeast Syria since U.S. troops, who have been fighting with Kurdish-led forces against Islamic State, started to leave in an abrupt policy shift by U.S. President Donald Trump. The withdrawal was criticized in Washington as a betrayal of America's Kurdish allies.
A Turkish security source told Reuters the military offensive, dubbed "Operation Peace Spring", opened with air strikes. Turkish howitzer fire then hit bases and ammunition depots of the Kurdish YPG militia.
The artillery strikes, which also targeted YPG gun and sniper positions, were aimed at sites far from residential areas, the source said.
(Production: Mert Ozkan) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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