REPORTAGE
The Turkish offensive, launched Wednesday by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against Kurdish forces allied with Westerners in the anti-jihadist struggle, continues in northern Syria. 100,000 people fled the fighting according to the United Nations.
This Saturday, on the border between the two countries, in Akçakale, Turkey, several columns of Turkish tanks cross the streets of the city under the encouragement of the inhabitants. And sometimes, under the detonations of artillery fire from the Turkish army mainly, towards the Syrian town of Tell Abyad located a little over a km from Akçakale.
Groups of men repeat their support for the operation of the Turkish army
In places, thin columns of smoke rise on the horizon. They testify to fighting on the other side of the border in the area defended by Kurdish forces. The latter fought back in the direction of Akçakale, as shell fire fell on the edge of the border.
In Akçakale, some houses are literally facing the barbed wire that separates the two countries. In these areas adjoining Syria, the streets are almost deserted, the shutters closed, the curtains of the shops pulled. Only a few small groups of people are formed as we approach the city center, groups of men mainly repeat their support for the operation of the Turkish army.