- Title: Damascus residents comment on Turkish offensive as air strikes hit Syria
- Date: 10th October 2019
- Summary: TEL ABYAD, SYRIA (AS FILMED FROM AKCAKALE, TURKEY) (OCTOBER 10, 2019) (REUTERS) SMOKE RISING ABOVE TEL ABYAD TOWN IN DISTANCE/ SOUND OF EXPLOSION AS AIR STRIKE HITS TOWN TEL ABYAD TOWN IN DISTANCE/ SOUND OF EXPLOSION AIR STRIKE HITS TOWN DAMASCUS, SYRIA (OCTOBER 10, 2019) (REUTERS) PEOPLE IN A CAFE IN CENTRAL DAMASCUS PEOPLE SMOKING SHEESHA TOP OF SHEESHA MEN PLAYING CARDS IN CAFE PLAYING CARDS ON TABLE PEOPLE IN CAFE SYRIAN RESIDENT MARWAN AL-SHARIFMAN SMOKING SHEESHA (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN MAN, MARWAN AL-SHARIF, SAYING: "Erdogan is a crazy man. May god grant us victory against him. We should love each other because our country became open for all the world and countries." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE PLAYING BACKGAMMON (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN DOCTOR, ANAS GHALAYINI, SAYING: "It is an unfair aggression against Syria. It is against the law to injure innocent people especially that we saw civilians injured on TV channels." YOUSSEF AL-AZMA SQUARE STATUE IN AL AZMA SQUARE CARS ON BUSY ROAD VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING DOWN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN MAN, WAFIQ ARNOUS, SAYING: "They (Kurds) were living respectfully under the Syrian regime but they refused this respectful life. They thought that the Americans will protect them but the Americans have their own benefits so they sell the Kurds at any chance. They do not care about Kurds or their blood. So Kurds are paying the price of their big fault." VARIOUS OF SYRIAN-KURDISH MAN MUSTAFA ABDI AT HIS BARBERSHOP (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN KURDISH MAN, MUSTAFA ABDI, SAYING: "I call our Kurdish brothers to put their hands in the government's hands. It is our country and land after all. We should protect our country instead to letting Erdogan occupy it. You should agree with the government and defend the territories" VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING DOWN STREET CARS ON ROAD
- Embargoed: 24th October 2019 13:50
- Keywords: Turkey shelling air strikes northeast Syria border towns Turkish offensive Kurds
- Location: TEL ABYAD (AS FILMED FROM AKCAKALE, TURKEY) AND DAMASCUS, SYRIA
- City: TEL ABYAD (AS FILMED FROM AKCAKALE, TURKEY) AND DAMASCUS, SYRIA
- Country: Various
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA001B0IMQ87
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Residents of Syria's capital Damascus on Thursday (October 10) condemned the Turkish offensive that has seen heavy shelling and air strikes against Kurdish militia targets in northeast Syria.
Thousands of people have fled Ras al Ain towards Hasaka province since the operation began. The Turkish air strikes killed at least five civilians and three fighters from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and wounded dozens of civilians, the SDF has said. Turkey's president said on Thursday 109 militants had been killed in the advance.
Jets conducted operations up to 30 km (18 miles) into Syria, and a Reuters witness saw shells exploding just outside the town of Tel Abyad on Thursday.
In a cafe in central Damascus, life continued as normal for Syrian residents. Some condemned President Tayyip Erdogan and said the offensive was unjust and would lead to civilian deaths.
Elsewhere in the city centre, Syrian resident Wafid Arnous said the Kurds wrongly trusted the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. pullout last week in an abrupt policy shift after the U.S. had fought alongside Kurdish-led forces against Islamic State, effectively giving the greenlight to the Turkish incursion.
Syrian-Kurdish barber Mustafa Abdi urged the Kurds in Syria's north to communicate with the Syrian Government and defend the territory.
(Production: Kinda Makieh, Firas Makdesi) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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