Turkish offensive begins in Syria, Erdogan announces

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(CNN) - The Turkish offensive in northwestern Syria began, Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan announced on his Twitter account.

"The Turkish Armed Forces together with the Syrian National Army began [the offensive] against the PKK / YPG and the Deash terrorist organizations in northern Syria," says the message. "Our goal is to destroy the terror corridor that is trying to settle on our southern border and bring peace to the region."

The Turkish offensive comes a few days after the United States announced the withdrawal of US troops, in a major change in US foreign policy. The withdrawal of US troops green light to Turkey to attack Kurdish forces backed by US forces. The group, long considered one of Washington's most reliable partners in Syria, has played a key strategic role in the campaign against ISIS in the region.

Warplanes began and began to carry out bombings in civil areas.

“Turkish fighter planes began carrying out air strikes in civil areas. There is a great panic among the people of the region, ”tweeted the spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mustafa Bali.

“Operation PeaceSpring will neutralize terrorist threats against Turkey and will lead to the establishment of a safe zone, facilitating the return of Syrian refugees to their homes. We will preserve the territorial integrity of Syria and free local communities from terrorists, ”Erdogan added.

The start of the operation to remove the US-backed Kurdish forces from its border came hours after the Turkish government's communications director, Fahrettin Altun, said the country's army had to cross into Syria along with the rebel army. Syrian free.

In a tweet early Wednesday, Altun said that the Kurdish People's Protection Units, also known as YPG, had two options: "They may defect or we will prevent them from interrupting our efforts against ISIS."

Syria condemned the "hostile intentions of Turkey ... and the military accumulation on the Syrian borders," according to the Syrian state news agency SANA.

"The aggressive behavior of the Erdogan regime clearly shows Turkish expansionist ambitions in the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic and cannot be justified under any pretext," a source from the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, SANA said.

The statement added that the Syrian government holds some Kurds responsible for what is happening "as a result of their dependence on the US project."

Syria attack