The Turkish Ministry of Defense dispatched ground troops on the night of the 9th (Japan time 10 days before dawn) over a cross-border military operation against the “People Defense Corps” (YPG), an armed organization of Kurdish minorities deployed in northern Syria. Announced that they have taken steps. The size of the dispatched troops was not disclosed. The operation started on the afternoon of September 9 and was centered on air strikes and shelling, but there are concerns about the expansion of the battle due to the introduction of ground forces.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense explained that this cross-border military operation was "exercise of the right of self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter" and was also based on a UN Security Council resolution related to the fight against terrorism. The attack target is limited to "terrorist-related military facilities, traps, weapons, vehicles".
However, the Syrian Civil War dissident NGO “Syrian Human Rights Watch Team” announced on the evening of September 9 that a total of 15 people, including eight civilians, were killed in the attacks of the Turkish army that continued from the afternoon of the same day.
The Turkish government has designated YPG as a “terrorist organization” and claims that it is the same organization as the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), an illegal Kurdish armed organization that continues its armed struggle to separate from Turkey. Eliminating the possibility of PKK and YPG creating an autonomous region that crosses the border between Turkey and Syria is one of the top priorities of the Turkish government. (Cairo = Manabu Kitagawa)
