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Turkiye sends new military reinforcements to Syria border 

November 30, 2022 at 2:41 pm

A Turkish soldier stands near his armoured vehicl on November 26, 2019 [BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty Images]

The Turkish army has sent military reinforcements to the border area with Syria, amid rising threats to launch a ground military operation against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria.

Pictures and videos, published by the Turkish Sabah newspaper, showed Turkish military vehicles and tanks on their way to “point zero” on the Syrian border.

The paper said the Turkish forces began sending other military shipments to northern Syria, especially to the vicinity of the city of Tal Rifaat in Aleppo’s northern countryside.

For his part, the SDF commander, Mazloum Abdi, said the most likely target of the Turkish ground attack would be the city of Ain Al-Arab in Aleppo’s eastern countryside.

READ: Russia mediates to stop Turkiye ground operation in northern Syria

Abdi said, in a press statement, that he was disappointed by the Russian and American “weak response” to the dozens of Turkish airstrikes that targeted areas under his control, during which eleven people were killed this week.

He added that the SDF takes Ankara’s threats seriously, adding that unless there is a serious effort to deter Turkiye, especially by the US and Russia, Turkiye will carry out its ground attack.

Meanwhile, Turkish informed diplomatic sources said that the new Turkish military operation in northern Syria would be carried out in phases, explaining that the first phase, which may begin within days, will include the Tal Rifaat area, while the following phases will include the areas of Ain Al-Arab and Manbij, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news site.

The sources pointed out that preparations are continuing for a ground attack in the Tal Rifaat area, noting that Turkiye is leading consultations with the Russian side in this context to create consensus and complete this process.