Turkey's Kurds call for peace as Turkish army opens ground assault on Syrian Kurdish militia

Record ID: 1436026

  • Title: Turkey's Kurds call for peace as Turkish army opens ground assault on Syrian Kurdish militia
  • Date: 10th October 2019
  • Summary: DIYARBAKIR, TURKEY (OCTOBER 10, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEDESTRIANS WALKING IN STREET VARIOUS OF MUNICIPALITY OFFICIALS WATCHING NEWS BULLETIN AT A LOCAL CAFE VARIOUS OF RETIRED RESIDENT OF DIYARBAKIR MAHMUT OZKAN HAVING TEA (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) RETIRED RESIDENT OF DIYARBAKIR, MAHMUT OZKAN, SAYING: "The reasons why Turkey intervened need to be examined. Why did they enter? Why was the ground for this created? One needs to think about these (questions) I am in favour of peace. The worst peace is way better than the best war." VARIOUS OF LOCALS HAVING BREAKFAST VARIOUS OF VEGETABLES AND FRUIT VENDOR HALIL KAYA WORKING (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) VEGETABLES AND FRUIT VENDOR, HALIL KAYA, SAYING: "If there is something (a threat) against Turkey, Turkey has the right to defend itself but on the other hand no country that set on a journey with the advice of the United States will have the benefits of it in any way." KAYA PUTTING CUCUMBERS ON COUNTER
  • Embargoed: 24th October 2019 08:45
  • Keywords: Turkey Syria military operation Syrian Kurdish militia Diyarbakir Kurds
  • Location: DIYARBAKIR, TURKEY
  • City: DIYARBAKIR, TURKEY
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
  • Reuters ID: LVA001B0IKGUF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Turkey's Kurds in Diyarbakir, the largest city in mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey, called for peace on Thursday (October 10) as Turkey struck Syrian Kurdish YPG targets in northern Syria.
    Turkish commandos pushed deeper into Syrian territory east of the Euphrates river on the second day of an offensive against Kurdish militia, as a withdrawal by U.S. forces opened up a dangerous new phase in the region's eight-year-old conflict.
    On Thursday morning, Kurds in Diyarbakir called for peace as one of them criticized the United States.
    Ashamed of Washington's role in making way for the Turkish incursion, senior members of U.S. President Donald Trump's own Republican Party condemned him for abandoning Syrian Kurds, who have been loyal allies of Washington in the fight against Islamic State in Syria (ISIS).
    NATO-ally Turkey has said it intends to create a "safe zone" in order to return millions of refugees to Syria. But world powers fear the Turkish action could exacerbate the conflict, and run the risk of ISIS prisoners escaping from camps amid the chaos.
    President Trump called the Turkish assault a "bad idea" and said he did not endorse it. He said he expected Turkey to protect civilians and religious minorities and prevent a humanitarian crisis - as Turkey has said it would.
    The United Nations Security Council will meet on Thursday to discuss Syria at the request of the five European members, Britain, France, Germany, Belgium and Poland.
    (Production: Umit Ozdal)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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