Turkish military shells Kurdish-backed positions in Syria for second day



ANKARA: -- The Turkish army shelled positions held by Kurdish-backed fighters in northern Syria for a second day on Sunday (February 14), killing two fighters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

Turkey on Saturday (February 13) demanded the powerful Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia withdraw from areas that it had captured in the northern Aleppo region in recent days from insurgents in Syria, including the Menagh air base which was seized from the al Qaeda-lined Nusra Front. The shelling has targeted those areas.

The YPG controls nearly all of Syria’s northern border with Turkey, and has been a close ally of the United States in the campaign against ISIL in Syria.

But Ankara views the group as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade-old insurgency for autonomy in southeast Turkey.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Saturday the shelling had taken place under “the rules of engagement against forces that represented a threat in Azaz and the surrounding area.”

He demanded that the Menagh base be evacuated and said he had spoken to US Vice President Joe Biden to stress that the PYD was an extension of the PKK and a direct threat to Turkey.

The PKK is considered a terrorist group by the US, Turkey and the European Union.


-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-02-15

It would be a great idea to pull all international forces out and build a fence around the whole of the middle east and let them get on with it, they cannot even live with each other so how can they be expected to live in civilised countries.

Turkey now is a flee in the fur.

Turkey is a rogue state and much more dangerous than Iran and other Assads. Its a big mistake from the US to support them

Edited February 15, 201610 yr by henry15

The PKK is considered a terrorist group by the US, Turkey and the European Union.

Likewise Al-Nusra Front, who have also pledged allegiance to ISIS.

Turkey shells YPG who have just kicked Al-Nusra's butt.

Turkey is becoming a major problem.

they are doing the right thing.

Turks have their agenda there and interests naturally and if other countries can find the right to come from thousands of kilometers like Russia claiming their national security but just to support their national agenda and interests in Syria, Turkey has right to do anything at its borders claiming national security.

of course. something is missing form this news report. Turkey has new rules of engagement and kurdish guys fired shells to Turkish side and Turkey retaliated. any other country does the same.

Edited February 15, 201610 yr by Galactus

they are doing the right thing.

Turks have their agenda there and interests naturally and if other countries can find the right to come from thousands of kilometers like Russia claiming their national security but just to support their national agenda and interests in Syria, Turkey has right to do anything at its borders claiming national security.

of course. something is missing form this news report. Turkey has new rules of engagement and kurdish guys fired shells to Turkish side and Turkey retaliated. any other country does the same.

From what I understand the Turks have violently persecuted their ethnic Kurds, lets not also forget the Armenian genocide perpetrated by the Turks, a genocide NATO countries let slide and conveniently don't talk about.

Turkey has been supplying ISIS and buying their stolen oil much to increase the wealth of President Erdogans family. Turks were also filmed on YouTube talking about making a false flag as an excuse to invade Syria, Turkey then banned YouTube. Countless reporters have been arrested, as so political opponents who dare to criticize the regime or ask too many questions.

Turkey is becoming totalitarian, many suggest Erdogan has dreams of resurrecting the Ottoman Muslim Empire, he is obviously a dangerous fascist and probably delusional. Does anyone with any semblance of objective thought actually believe that the regime that has been filmed discussing creating false flags isn't creating one right now about Syrian Kurds attacking them? The last thing those Kurds want is a war with Turkey, no notion is completely absurd, which is why western propaganda rags like The Guardian carry it as a headline.

they are doing the right thing.

Turks have their agenda there and interests naturally and if other countries can find the right to come from thousands of kilometers like Russia claiming their national security but just to support their national agenda and interests in Syria, Turkey has right to do anything at its borders claiming national security.

of course. something is missing form this news report. Turkey has new rules of engagement and kurdish guys fired shells to Turkish side and Turkey retaliated. any other country does the same.

From what I understand the Turks have violently persecuted their ethnic Kurds, lets not also forget the Armenian genocide perpetrated by the Turks, a genocide NATO countries let slide and conveniently don't talk about.

Turkey has been supplying ISIS and buying their stolen oil much to increase the wealth of President Erdogans family. Turks were also filmed on YouTube talking about making a false flag as an excuse to invade Syria, Turkey then banned YouTube. Countless reporters have been arrested, as so political opponents who dare to criticize the regime or ask too many questions.

Turkey is becoming totalitarian, many suggest Erdogan has dreams of resurrecting the Ottoman Muslim Empire, he is obviously a dangerous fascist and probably delusional. Does anyone with any semblance of objective thought actually believe that the regime that has been filmed discussing creating false flags isn't creating one right now about Syrian Kurds attacking them? The last thing those Kurds want is a war with Turkey, no notion is completely absurd, which is why western propaganda rags like The Guardian carry it as a headline.

you are right about erdogan. never trust them

but i never see any evidence on turkey buying oil from isis. and you trust videos at youtube? even a small kid can make a fake video now with some applications!

armenian genocide? it is not a genocide as accepted by many and that is ottoman times at ww1.

kurds, they are just the grip of foreign powers. what they ask is total division and i wonder what happens if lets say Texas wants to get separated from usa? people get killed for treason?

and what you say? russia, iran, usa, germany, france etc a total of 20 nations can come all the way and bomb around in syria especially russia killing people at genocide level for their national interests and national security and turks cant bomb a country in constant trouble at its borders claiming its interests and national security? yes, they can if others can.

Not exactly fair comparisons. Texas was not a country, The Kurds, however, did once have a homeland known as Kurdistan. Erdogan, in his suppression of the Kurds (not just the PKK) is going to end up losing a chunk of his country. His strategic importance is waning along with his trustworthiness.

I wish no ill on Turkey, but there is only so long you can play both sides against the middle.

Not exactly fair comparisons. Texas was not a country, The Kurds, however, did once have a homeland known as Kurdistan. Erdogan, in his suppression of the Kurds (not just the PKK) is going to end up losing a chunk of his country. His strategic importance is waning along with his trustworthiness.

I wish no ill on Turkey, but there is only so long you can play both sides against the middle.

read history. there were never a Kurdistan country! at those areas. Before Ottomans hold those lands now Turks, Iraqi, Syrians and Iranians.

You might want to read up on the Republic of Kurdistan and a little about Mustafa Barzani.

Was Kurdistan a country? If you do read history, a country called Kurdistan maybe hasn't existed, but the Kurds have sometimes existed as autonomous or semi-autonomous states. They had the misfortune to usually be sandwiched between 2 big empires, and control of their area has changed many times (with Persia to the east and the Roman empire or it's successors to the west). They have as much right to exist as many Balkan countries, or any other ME country.

Unfortunately after the fall of the Ottoman empire it's subject peoples land was carved up into artificial 'states' like Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Palestine by 2 European civil servants with little knowledge of the area. That's why their has been so much bloodshed over the last 100 years in the ME, as different ethnic groups were split across frontiers or lumped together with others they had little love for.

If Erdogan wants to recreate the Ottoman empire, maybe we should let him do it, then it becomes his problem. But he should start by annexing Israel ......

You might want to read up on the Republic of Kurdistan and a little about Mustafa Barzani.

and i support them. hopefully there will be kurdish state soon there. but this is new and still not official.

but i dont support syrian kurds creating trouble around using isis fears of international community. they are stealing land, changing demographics of a region by force and serving bloody assad regime and fascist russia.