Syrian Kurdish forces launched attack in retaliation to Turkish military operations
Women with toddlers run to take cover after mortars fired from Syria in Turkey. Pic/AFP
Akcakale: Five people, including a nine-month-old baby, were killed and dozens injured in Kurdish shelling on Turkish border towns on Thursday, local authorities said, following Turkey's offensive on Kurdish forces in northern Syria since Wednesday.
"The first martyrs of Operation Peace Spring were a nine-month-old Syrian baby, Mohammad Omar, and Cihan Gunes, a civil servant working for the tax office in Akcakale," the Sanliurfa governor's office said in a statement.
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Three more deaths were later reported in Turkey's Mardin province, according to a local official. Attacks were also reported in Ceylanpinar in Turkey. A total of 70 people were so far reported injured across Turkish areas.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, "Since Wednesday, over 60,000 people in Syria fled border areas." Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says 109 "terrorists were killed" — a reference to Syrian Kurdish fighters — since Ankara launched an offensive into Syria the previous day. Erdogan did not elaborate and the reports on the ground did not indicate anything remotely close to such a large number of casualties.
60K
No. of people who fled border areas in Syria in less than a day
India slams op, urges peaceful settlement
India on Thursday said it was "deeply concerned" over the "unilateral military offensive" by Turkey in northeastern Syria and asserted that the action can undermine stability in the region as well as the fight against terrorism. "We urge the peaceful settlement of all issues through dialogue and discussion," India said.
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