- Title: Explosions hit Syria border town as Turkey persists with offensive
- Date: 17th October 2019
- Summary: RAS AL AIN, SYRIA (AS FILMED FROM CEYLANPINAR, TURKEY) (OCTOBER 17, 2019) (REUTERS) EXPLOSIONS IN RAS AL AIN SEEN FROM TURKISH SIDE OF THE BORDER / SMOKE BILLOWING FROM GROUND
- Embargoed: 31st October 2019 15:42
- Keywords: Turkey offensive in northeast syria Syria war bombing border
- Location: RAS AL AIN, SYRIA (AS FILMED FROM CEYLANPINAR, TURKEY)
- City: RAS AL AIN, SYRIA (AS FILMED FROM CEYLANPINAR, TURKEY)
- Country: Turkey
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA001B1HLT8N
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Explosions hit the border town of Ras al Ain in Syria on Thursday (October 17) evening, as Turkey pushes forward with its offensive in the northeast of the country.
Turkey's week-long assault has created a new humanitarian crisis in Syria 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 U.S. President Donald Trump.
Turkey's operation also allowed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to redeploy his forces to an area that had been beyond his control for years in the more than eight-year Syrian war and prompted the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), of which the Kurdish YPG is the main element, to strike a deal with Damascus.
Trump has been accused of abandoning Kurdish fighters, who were Washington's main partners in the battle to dismantle Islamic State's self-declared caliphate in Syria, by withdrawing troops from the border as Turkey launched its offensive on Oct. 9.
Turkey views the U.S.-backed YPG as a terrorist organization because of its link to Kurdish militants waging an insurgency inside Turkey, and has been infuriated with Washington's support.
(Production: Chiara Rodriquez) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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