Syria, exchange of accusations between Ankara and Kurds "violated the ceasefire"

2019-10-19T12:07:21.286Z

Exchange of reciprocal accusations between Turkey and Kurds after the ceasefire agreement. The Syrian Kurds have accused Turkey of violating the ceasefire agreement in northeastern Syria. The Syrian Democratic Forces of the SDF denounce that Ankara forces have not authorized the opening of the corridor for the safe evacuation of civilians and wounded in the border town of Ras-al-Ain. The Kurds are asking for the intervention of US Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who yesterday called the agreement with Ankara for a five-day truce to allow the withdrawal of the Kurds from the "safe zone" pursued by Turkey. The SDF therefore stresses that Pence and Pompeo are therefore responsible for the implementation of the agreement. "Despite ongoing contacts with the Americans and the promises they made to solve this problem, there has been no progress," he points out. Turkey, for its part, has also accused Kurdish forces of violating the truce announced on Thursday in northern Syria, which involved the withdrawal from the region in exchange for the arrest of the Turkish offensive. "The Turkish armed forces fully respect the agreement", negotiated Thursday with the United States, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. "Despite this, the terrorists", as Turkey describes the Kurdish forces, "have conducted a total of 14 attacks in the last 36 hours," he added. Meanwhile, intense Russian and Syrian government air strikes are underway this morning in northwestern Syria, in the Idlib region outside the control of the Damascus government. According to the National Observatory for Human Rights in Syria, two civilians were killed and a dozen wounded this morning.