Syrian regime forces moved towards the Turkish border on Monday after Damascus reached a deal with beleaguered Kurdish forces following a US withdrawal announcement, AFP correspondents reported.
Soldiers waving Syrian flags deployed west of Tall Tamr, not far from the flashpoint border town of Ras al-Ain, which has been a key target of Turkish forces and their proxies since they launched their onslaught six days ago.
Tall Tamr is about 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the border but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said some units in the area had moved as close as six kilometres (four miles).
AFP correspondents said the government forces were met by cheering residents and Syrian state television aired footage of people welcoming the soldiers.
According to a newspaper close to the Damascus regime, Syrian forces were also expected to deploy in the areas of Manbij and the border town of Kobane, further east.
On October 9, Turkey launched a broad cross-border offensive on areas that were controlled by Kurdish forces it considers to be a terrorist organization.
The move came after a pullback of US troops from the border area effectively gave Ankara a green light to launch its long-prepared operation.
In other news – #IdolsSA fans left fuming after Mangaliso was eliminated
Idols SA fans were left fuming on Sunday after Mangaliso was eliminated from the popular TV singing competition. It was a nail-biting moment before it was announced that Mangaliso had received the lowest number of votes.
She was gracious in her exit, hugging her fellow contestants as she left the stage But on social media things were not as civil, with fans blaming the twins’ popularity for Mangaliso’s exit. continue reading
Source: AFP
