Ankara/New Delhi (NVI): Ignoring the widespread criticism and threats of sanctions over its unilateral offensive against Kurds on its border with Syria, Turkey continued its military operations deep inside the Syrian territory on the eighth day on October 16.
India too had slammed Turkey saying “deeply concerned” over the “unilateral military offensive” by Turkey in north-eastern Syria and had asserted that the action can undermine stability in the region as well as the fight against terrorism. Syria had welcomed the Indian stand.
Meanwhile Erdogan has dismissed US calls for a ceasefire in northern Syria and said that he’s not worried about American-imposed sanctions, or the advancement of Russian-backed Syrian forces toward the Turkish border.
The Turkish move to invade Syria came after the United States announced it was withdrawing its troops from the area, leaving the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), its main ally in the battle against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) armed group, without US military support.
Reportedly, Turkish Presidency stated that Erdogan said that the military action aims to remove the Kurdish-led forces from the border area and create a safe zone so that Syrian refugees could be settled there.
-bp