One Turkish soldier killed and three wounded in escalation of conflict, says Turkey’s official news agency

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

One Turkish soldier was killed and three wounded in a Kurdish rocket attack in Jarablus, Syria, according to Turkey’s official news agency.

Turkey-allied Syrian rebels clashed with Kurdish-led forces in north-eastern Syria, with reports of Turkish tanks and airstrikes backing the rebels, in an escalation that further complicates the already protracted Syrian conflict.

Turkey’s military didn’t specify what the airstrikes hit, saying only that “terror groups” were targeted south of the village of Jarablus, where the clashes later ensued. A Kurdish-affiliated group said their forces were the target and called the attack an “unprecedented and dangerous escalation”. If confirmed, it would be the first Turkish airstrikes against Kurdish allied forces on Syrian soil.

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The escalation highlights concerns that Turkey’s incursion into Syria this week could lead to an all-out confrontation between Ankara and Syrian Kurds, both American allies, and hinder the war against Islamic State (Isis) by diverting resources.

It marks Turkey’s determination to push back Kurdish forces from along its borders and curb their ambitions to form a contiguous entity in northern Syria. Kurdish groups have already declared a semi-autonomous administration in Syria and control most of the border area.

Jarablus and Manjib to the south were liberated from Isis fighters by Kurdish-led forces earlier this month and are essential to connecting the western and eastern semi-autonomous Kurdish areas in Syria.

Turkish officials said they will continue their offensive in Syria until there is no longer any terrorist threat to Turkey. Ankara backed Syrian rebels to gain control of Jarablus last week and they are pushing south.

On Saturday the Syrian rebels said they have seized a number of villages south of Jarablus from Isis militants and Kurdish forces. Clashes were fiercest with the Kurdish-allied forces over the village of Amarneh, eight km (five miles) south of Jarablus.

The media office of the Turkish-backed Nour al-Din al-Zinki rebel group said the Syrian rebels were backed by Turkish tanks. A news report on ANHA, the news agency for the semi-autonomous Kurdish areas, said local fighters destroyed a Turkish tank and killed a number of fighters in an attack by the Turkish military and allied groups on Amarneh.

There was no immediate comment from Turkish officials.

The clashes were preceded by Turkish airstrikes against bases of Kurdish-affiliated forces and residential areas at Amarneh. The Jarablus military council, affiliated with the US-backed Kurdish-led Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), said the Turkish airstrikes marked an “unprecedented and dangerous escalation” that “endangers the future of the region”. It vowed to stand its ground. Other groups which are part of the SDF vowed to support them, calling on the US-led coalition to explain the Turkish attacks on allied forces.

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Turkey’s state news agency, citing military sources, said the Turkish military joint special task forces and coalition aeroplanes targeted an ammunition depot and a barrack and outpost used as command centres by “terrorist groups” south of Jarablus on Saturday morning. The Anadolu Agency did not say which group or village was targeted.

Meanwhile, the UN’s special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, appealed to the opposition to approve plans to deliver aid to rebel-held eastern Aleppo and government-held western Aleppo through a government-controlled route north of the city during a 48-hour humanitarian pause.

“People are suffering and need assistance. Time is of the essence. All must put the civilian population of Aleppo first and exert their influence now,” De Mistura said in a statement, urging an approval by Sunday.

Elsewhere, the Syrian government said it has full control of the Damascan suburb of Darayya, following the completion of a forced evacuation deal struck with the government that emptied the area of its remaining rebels and residents and ended a four-year siege and gruelling bombing campaign.