Translated material
Turkish march
Turkish troops expanded the zone of operation "Euphrates Shield" in Syria, reports Hürriyet Daily News. Through the Turkish border, another column of tanks and heavy artillery entered Syria and headed to the area of the city of Er-Ray.
The new combat area is located about 25 kilometers west of the place where Turkish troops crossed the border with Syria during the first operation in this country, which began in August.
Türkiye sent Leopard tanks in addition to M60T tanks, previously involved in surgery in Syria. In addition, several armored vehicles with Kirpi anti -minimum protection were transferred to Syria.
On August 24, Turkey began a large -scale operation in the north of Syria . At about four in the morning local time, Turkish special forces advanced to the area of the Syrian border city of Jaratlus to cleanse it from the militants of the Islamic State.
They were supported by F-16 fighters from the air, armored vehicles and artillery were also involved in the operation. The report of the Ministry of Defense of Turkey emphasized that the tanks were deployed in Turkish territory, but later it became known that more than a dozen Turkish tanks crossed the Syrian border after shelling the territory.
At the same time, Türkiye said that she was fighting not only with IS, but also with the Kurdish groups in Syria. The country supported the free Syrian army and planned to establish control of the region before the Syrian democratic forces, which include the Kurds. Also, according to officials, the operation aims to prevent new flows of migration and assistance to the civilian population.
The Turkish authorities seek to prevent the increase in the influence of the Kurds in the north of Syria in the regions border with Turkey. The Turkish government considers the armed forces of the Kurds with terrorist organizations, despite the fact that some of them enjoy the support of the United States, an ally of Turkey in NATO.
Damascus called the invasion of the Turkish troops in the Syrian territory by a violation of the country's sovereignty.