Erdogan Denies Claims On Escape Of IS Terrorists From Camp Amid Turkish Operation In Syria
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published October 13, 2019 | 11:30 PM
ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th October, 2019) Reports about the flight of insurgents of the Islamic State terrorist organization (IS, banned in Russia) from the Ayn Issa camp in north Syria, where Turkey has recently launched a military operation against terrorists and Kurdish militia, are "disinformation," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday.
Earlier, the local administration of the Kurdish autonomy in north-west Syria claimed that 785 IS-affiliated foreign terrorists had fled the Ayn Issa camp in the Raqqa province, controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, the military wing of the Kurdish autonomy.
"They continuously broadcast disinformation about IS terrorists having fled the prison. They do it to incite the United States and the West. The leaders, with whom I am in touch, ask me about it all the time," Erdogan said at a press encounter in Istanbul.
The camp, located 7 miles south of the Turkish border, is home to 7,000 displaced persons, among whom 785 are suspected members of the Islamic State. On Friday, the Kurdish administration announced plans to evacuate the camp's residents and move them to al-Arisha camp south of the city of Hassakah.
On Wednesday, Erdogan announced the launch of Operation Peace Spring in north Syria against the IS terrorists and the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which Ankara designates as terrorists. The air component of the operation has begun the same day in the Ras al-Ain town of Al Hasakah province, while the land operations have been launched shortly after. As of Saturday, the Turkish army reported killing 459 Kurdish militia.
The Turkish offensive in northern Syria is part of Ankara's long-standing goal to clear its border area of both Kurdish militia and IS terrorists and create a so-called safe zone along the cleared line. The military operation has already resulted in civilian deaths on both sides of the border. Damascus views the operation as a violation of Syria's territorial integrity. A number of countries, including Russia, have called upon Turkey to refrain from actions that could create obstacles for the peace process in Syria, where a civil war has been ongoing since 2011.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
HEC reviews curricula for environmental sciences degree programme
ICC Asia looking forward to an action-packed Asia Cricket Week
Yuvraj Singh named ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Ambassador
Greece hands Olympic flame to 2024 Paris Games hosts
Two Kyiv hospitals evacuating over feared Russian strikes
World must act on neurotech revolution, say experts
Charles & Catherine's cancer diagnoses
Champions Alcaraz and Sabalenka through in Madrid Open
King Charles to resume some public duties during cancer treatment: palace
US defense chief announces $6 bn in security aid for Ukraine
Heavy rains cause damage to Spezand-Taftan railway track
Woman stabbed in Israel, attacker killed: police
More Stories From World
-
NFL will allow players to wear Guardian Cap helmets in games
3 hours ago -
Football: German Bundesliga table
3 hours ago -
Football: Italian Serie A result
3 hours ago -
Football: German Bundesliga results
3 hours ago -
US troops to leave Chad in second African state withdrawal
3 hours ago -
Plastics pollution may be solved without production cap: Canada minister
3 hours ago
-
Biden stalls on menthol cigarette ban fearing Black vote backlash
4 hours ago -
Champions Alcaraz and Sabalenka through in Madrid Open
4 hours ago -
6,000 French police to welcome Olympic torch amid bonus boost
4 hours ago -
Taiwan hit by several quakes, strongest reaching 6.1-magnitude
4 hours ago -
'Ballistic' Bairstow stars as Punjab pull off record T20 chase
4 hours ago -
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results - 2nd update
4 hours ago