- Title: Turkish tanks amass along the border with Syria
- Date: 16th October 2019
- Summary: AKCAKALE, TURKEY (OCTOBER 16, 2019) (REUTERS) NIGHT SHOTS OF TANK CONVOY DRIVING ON ROAD NIGHT SHOTS OF ARMOURED PERSONNEL CARRIERS DRIVING ON ROAD NIGHT SHOTS OF TANK CONVOY DRIVING
- Embargoed: 30th October 2019 17:43
- Keywords: sanctions Kurds Syria operation Tayyip Erdogan Turkey Ras Al Ain Donald Trump Syria US
- Location: AKCAKALE, TURKEY
- City: AKCAKALE, TURKEY
- Country: Turkey
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA001B1CITZB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The Trump administration dispatched its top officials to Turkey on Wednesday (October 16) for emergency talks to try to persuade Ankara to halt an assault on northern Syria, while Russian troops swept into territory abandoned by Washington in a sudden retreat.
But despite the increase in diplomacy, Turkish military continued to amass in strength near the border with Syria. Turkish military tanks and soldiers were seen driving through the border town of Akcakale as night fell. Akcakale is located across the Syrian town of Tel Abyad which fell under Turkey and its Syrian allies' control but fighting continued in nearby Ras al Ain.
The offensive, dubbed Peace Spring, has spawned a humanitarian crisis, with 160,000 civilians taking flight, a security alert over thousands of Islamic State fighters abandoned in Kurdish jails, and a political maelstrom at home for Trump, accused by congressional leaders, including fellow Republicans, of betraying loyal U.S. allies, the Kurds.
Syrian government forces, backed by Washington's adversaries Russia and Iran, have meanwhile taken advantage of the power vacuum left by retreating U.S. troops to advance swiftly into the largest swath of territory previously outside their grasp.
Washington announced a package of sanctions to punish Turkey on Monday (October 14), but Trump's critics said the measures, mainly a hike in steel tariffs and a pause in trade talks, were too feeble to have an impact.
(Production: Omer Berberoglu, Ayat Basma) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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