Syrian Kurdish forces clash with Turkish soldiers
Syrian Kurdish forces have clashed with Turkish soldiers close to a border crossing between Syria and Turkey, a report says.
The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Monday that the deadly clashes involving Kurdish fighters of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) took place near the Syrian border town of Tal Abyad.
The UK-based group said several Kurds were killed in the fierce fighting. It has not provided further details of the battle.
Kurdish fighters had recently liberated Tal Abyad in Raqqa Province. The town had been under the control of ISIL. In January, the YPG forces also liberated Kobani, a Kurdish town in the border region.
The liberation of the border towns has dealt a heavy blow to ISIL as the victories have cut off the major supply routes for the terrorist group.
The Turkish military recently called on all commanders stationed along the border to be ready for a possible intervention in Syria.
In recent weeks, Turkey has bolstered its military presence on its border regions with Syria with heavy weapons and by increasing the number of ground troops to about 54,000 soldiers.
Turkey’s recent military boost has rekindled speculations that the country is planning to push back the advance of Kurdish forces battling the Takfiri ISIL terrorists in the border region.
Latest reports indicate that there has been intense activity on the Turkish border with Syria over the past 48 hours.
Sources say a large number of military convoys carrying missile fuses and artillery have arrived in the Elbeyli district and several other regions of the south-central Turkish province of Kilis near the border with Syria.
The Turkish forces have also deployed a large number of Patriot surface-to-air missiles along its border with Syria.
The Turkish army has already deployed a large number of a special forces in its Kurdish-majority province of Tunceli.
The squads are expected to lead a possible military intervention into Syria.
Prime Minister Davutoğlu recently stated that Ankara will not hesitate to take military action in Syria if there is a direct threat to its national security.
Turkey is one of the main supporters of the militancy against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, with reports showing that Ankara actively trains and arms the militants operating in the Arab country.
JR/HSN/HMV
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