Turkey denies truce with Kurdish-backed militia

AFP, ISTANBUL: Turkey on Wednesday denied agreeing to a US-brokered truce with Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria, saying it would not compromise with a “terrorist” group a week into an unprecedented cross-border offensive.
Washington said Tuesday the two sides—both US allies—had agreed to a cessation of hostilities between their forces in Syria after deadly clashes at the weekend.
Also on Tuesday, the Islamic State group’s top strategist Abu Mohamed al-Adnani was killed in a US-led coalition air strike in Syria’s Aleppo province, in a major blow to the jihadists, the group said.
While Turkish forces and their Syrian rebel allies kept up the fight against IS, Ankara’s bombardments of Kurdish-backed positions appeared to have eased, with no reports of any such strikes since Monday.
Turkey however rejected Washington’s claim that it had agreed to hold fire on the pro-Kurdish coalition.
“We do not accept in any circumstances ... a ‘compromise or a ceasefire reached between Turkey and Kurdish elements,’” EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik told state-run Anadolu news agency. “The Turkish republic is a sovereign, legitimate state,” Celik said, adding Turkey could not be put on an equal footing with a “terrorist organisation”, referring to the US-backed Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).
After driving the Kurdish-backed fighters south away from the flashpoint border town of Jarabulus, the Turkish forces and their Syrian rebel allies on Tuesday fought Islamic State (IS) group jihadists to the town’s west, Turkish media said. Three Turkish soldiers were killed in a rocket attack on a tank near Jarabulus, the reports said.
Turkish warplanes later carried out airstrikes against “terrorist” targets nearby, state-run Anadolu news agency said, referring to IS.
Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield on August 24 to clear the border area of jihadists and halt the westward advance of a US-backed Kurdish-led militia which Ankara considers a “terrorist” group.
After helping Syrian Arab rebels take Jarabulus from IS on the intervention’s very first day, Turkey began strikes against the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a YPG-dominated coalition that has been leading the fight against IS.

Turkey denies truce with Kurdish-backed militia

AFP, ISTANBUL: Turkey on Wednesday denied agreeing to a US-brokered truce with Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria, saying it would not compromise with a terrorist group a week into an unprecedented cross-border offensive. Washington said Tuesday the two sidesboth US allieshad agreed to a cessation of hostilities between their forces in Syria after deadly clashes at the weekend. Also on Tuesday, the Islamic State groups top strategist Abu Mohamed al-Adnani was killed in a US-led coalition air strike in Syrias Aleppo province, in a major blow to the jihadists, the group said. While Turkish forces and their Syrian rebel allies kept up the fight against IS, Ankaras bombardments of Kurdish-backed positions appeared to have eased, with no reports of any such strikes since Monday. Turkey however rejected Washingtons claim that it had agreed to hold fire on the pro-Kurdish coalition. We do not accept in any circumstances ... a compromise or a ceasefire reached between Turkey and Kurdish elements, EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik told state-run Anadolu news agency. The Turkish republic is a sovereign, legitimate state, Celik said, adding Turkey could not be put on an equal footing with a terrorist organisation, referring to the US-backed Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG). After driving the Kurdish-backed fighters south away from the flashpoint border town of Jarabulus, the Turkish forces and their Syrian rebel allies on Tuesday fought Islamic State (IS) group jihadists to the towns west, Turkish media said. Three Turkish soldiers were killed in a rocket attack on a tank near Jarabulus, the reports said. Turkish warplanes later carried out airstrikes against terrorist targets nearby, state-run Anadolu news agency said, referring to IS. Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield on August 24 to clear the border area of jihadists and halt the westward advance of a US-backed Kurdish-led militia which Ankara considers a terrorist group. After helping Syrian Arab rebels take Jarabulus from IS on the interventions very first day, Turkey began strikes against the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a YPG-dominated coalition that has been leading the fight against IS.