US Forces Evacuating Wives Of IS Militants From Syria's Northeastern Al-Hawl Camp- Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th October, 2019) US troops are evacuating wives of Islamic State terrorists (IS, banned in Russia) from the Al-Hawl refugee camp in Syria amid the Turkish offensive in the Arab country, media reported on Sunday.

On Monday, US media reported that the US forces failed to evacuate around 50 "high-value" IS detainees from Kurdish jails in northeastern Syria amid the ongoing Turkish military operation in the area.

US helicopters are circling the camp in the course of the evacuation operation, Ikhbariya broadcaster reported.

On October 7, President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said last week that the United States would pull out an additional 1,000 servicemen from the area near where Turkey launched its military offensive.

Turkey began Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria on October 9 with the aim of setting a 20-mile buffer zone free of any Kurdish presence along its border with Syria. Damascus has called the operation an invasion, while the US and EU has imposed sanctions and embargoes against Turkey.