US Defence Secretary Mark Esper has warned Turkey to halt its incursion into northeastern Syria, warning it could have “serious consequences” for Ankara.
In a Thursday phone call with Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar, Defense Secretary Mark Esper “made it clear that the United States opposes Turkey’s uncoordinated actions” in northeast Syria, chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement Friday.
Esper told Akar that the Turkish strikes “place at risk the progress” in combating ISIS, and that its action “risks serious consequences for Turkey,” Hoffman said.
“While the secretary reaffirmed we value our strategic bilateral relationship, this incursion risks serious consequences for Turkey,” the statement said.
The Turkish government on the other side reported civilian casualties.
Turkey’s state-run news agency said two more civilians had been killed in a mortar attack on a Turkish border town while another person died of wounds from a similar attack a day earlier.
The fatalities increased the death toll of civilians killed in mortar attacks on Turkish border towns to nine.
As a reminder, U.S. President Trump removed 50 U.S. soldiers from northeast Syria.
Today five Isis militants have broken out of a prison in northern Syria after Turkish shelling nearby, a spokesman in the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces has said.
The detainees escaped from a prison in Qamishli city, Marvan Qamishlo said.
Meanwhile, women affiliated with Isis attacked security offices with sticks and stones during unrest at a camp in the region where Turkey has launched attacks.
The unrest at al-Hol camp started in the foreigners’ section and involved more people than previous incidents at the camp, Mr Qamishlo said.
“The [Isis] women rose against the internal security forces at al-Hol, they set ablaze tents and attacked the administrative and security offices there with stones and sticks,” he added said.
Do you think that President Trump made the right decision?