Turkey Reinforcing Syrian Border: Report
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Turkey is sending reinforcements to its border with Syria with some 100 vehicles including mounted pickup trucks and weaponry making their way to the area, a report said.
The heightened military activity comes days after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would postpone a planned military operation on the Kurdish YPG militia in northern Syria after the United States decided to withdraw from Syria, Demiroren News Agency (DHA) reported on Sunday, according to Reuters.
The Turkish convoy, headed toward the border district of Kilis, located in the southern province of Hatay, included tanks, howitzers, machine guns and buses carrying commandos.
Part of the military equipment and personnel are to be positioned in posts along the border while some had crossed into Syria via the district of Elbeyli, the report said.
Elbeyli is located 45 kilometers (27.96 miles) from the northern Syrian town of Manbij, which has been a major flashpoint between Ankara and Washington.
In June, the NATO allies reached an agreement that would see the YPG ousted from the area but Turkey has complained the roadmap has been delayed.
Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey will take over the fight against Daesh militants in Syria as the United States withdraws its troops, adding that the planned operation would target the YPG, as well as Daesh.