Turkey: Kurdish militia kills a soldier in northeast Syria despite ceasefire
Updated 14:45, 20-Oct-2019
CGTN
02:46

One Turkish soldier was killed and another was wounded on Sunday after an attack by the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia in northeast Syria's Tel Abyad, the defense ministry said, despite a deal to pause military operations as militants withdraw from the area.

Turkey agreed with the United States on Thursday to pause its offensive into northeastern Syria for five days to allow the YPG to withdraw from a planned "safe zone." The fragile truce had so far held up.

In a statement, the defense ministry said an attack by the YPG with anti-tank and light weapons had struck Turkish soldiers carrying out a reconnaissance and surveillance mission in Tel Abyad. It said the attack was retaliated and added that Turkey remained committed to the truce deal despite the violations.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday Turkey would press on with its offensive into northeastern Syria and threatened to "crush the heads of terrorists" if a deal with Washington on the withdrawal of Kurdish fighters from the area was not fully implemented.

Before, there have been 14 "provocative attacks" from Syria, said Turkey's defense ministry, adding it was continuing to coordinate closely with Washington on implementation of the accord. Both sides accused the other of violating the ceasefire.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (R) meets with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, October 17, 2019. /Reuters Photo

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (R) meets with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, October 17, 2019. /Reuters Photo

If the agreement with the United States, a NATO ally, for the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia to withdraw falters, Turkey will continue its military operation from where it left off, Erdogan said.

"If it works, it works. If not, we will continue to crush the heads of the terrorists the minute the 120 hours (of the ceasefire) are over," Erdogan told flag-waving supporters in the central Turkish province of Kayseri.

"If the promises that were made to us are not kept, we will not wait like we did before and we will continue the operation where it left off once the time we set has run out," he said.

Read more:

Turkey, U.S. agree on Syria ceasefire to force Kurds withdrawal

Turkey accuses Syrian Kurd forces of violating ceasefire

Ankara regards the YPG, the main component of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as a terrorist group because of its links to Kurdish insurgents in southeast Turkey.

On Friday, the Kurdish militia accused Turkey of violating the five-day pause by shelling civilian areas in the northeast and the border town of Ras al Ain.

A senior Turkish official called the accusations an attempt to sabotage the agreement between Ankara and Washington, adding that Turkey was fully behind the deal.

"Turkey is 100 percent behind the deal. We already got everything we wanted at the negotiating table," the official said. "It's bizarre to think that we'd violate an agreement that we like," the official added.

Children wait as members of Turkey-backed forces form a cordon to control a crowd of displaced Syrians gathering to receive aid provided by the Turkish Red Crescent, October 19, 2019. /VCG Photo

Children wait as members of Turkey-backed forces form a cordon to control a crowd of displaced Syrians gathering to receive aid provided by the Turkish Red Crescent, October 19, 2019. /VCG Photo

The surprise deal to suspend Turkey's military offensive in Syria hinged on Erdogan's demand that Washington agree on a time limit on any ceasefire, a senior Turkish official told Reuters on Friday.

The deal aims to stem a humanitarian crisis, which displaced 200,000 civilians in the region, and ease a security scare over thousands of Islamic State captives guarded by the YPG, who the Turkish offensive targets.

The planned safe zone would go 32 km (20 miles) into Syria. Erdogan said on Friday it would run for some 440 km from west to east along the border, though the U.S. special envoy for Syria said the accord covered a smaller area where Turkish forces and their Syrian rebel allies were fighting.

Erdogan also said on Friday Turkey would set up a dozen observation posts across northeast Syria, and that he would hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on what steps to take in the planned "safe zone" on his visit to Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi Tuesday.

"In certain parts of our operation area, (Assad) regime forces under Russian protection are situated. We will discuss this issue with Mr Putin. We need to find a solution," Erdogan said.

The crisis was triggered days after U.S. President Donald Turmp's abrupt announcement of U.S. troops withdrawal from northern Syria, a move that was widely regarded as a betrayal of its Kurdish allies.

(With input from Reuters)