A Turkish soldier and three Kurdish militants have been killed in clashes in southern Turkey.The north of Syria is witnessing a cautious calm after the withdrawal of Kurdish units from the city of Ras al-Ain.Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu defended his country's operation there, while Iran said it refused to establish Turkish military sites in Syria.
According to the Anatolia news agency, a Turkish soldier was killed Monday morning during clashes with the PKK militias in the southeastern province of Mardin, and killed three members of the militias.
Al-Jazeera correspondent said that the Turkish army is conducting reconnaissance operations in the vicinity of the city of Tel Abyad, and that the situation remains calm at the beginning of the fourth day of the truce.
He added that US forces evacuated most of their positions in west Tal Abyad and the vicinity of the city of Ain al-Arab (Kobani), while the regime has been moving its forces for two days near the international road in the countryside of Hasaka.
The SDF has announced its full withdrawal from the city of Ras Al-Ain under the US-Turkish agreement, while Ankara says it is closely monitoring the implementation of the agreement, an opposition group spokesman Yusuf Hammud told Reuters that the withdrawal of Kurdish militants from the city is not complete.
The withdrawal from Ras al-Ain began since the afternoon of Saturday, and Anatolia Agency said that dozens of ambulances and civilian cars exited through a corridor opened by Turkish forces, and headed to the city of Qamishli in the countryside of Hasaka province.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) denied the presence of its ambulances in Ras al-Ain, in response to reports of the transfer of ambulances belonging to Kurdish militia elements.
A source close to the Syrian regime forces told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa on Sunday that more than 12,000 soldiers crossed the Euphrates Dam bridge on their way to the city of Raqqa to spread in the countryside of Raqqa and northeastern areas that were under the control of the so-called SDF.
In return, the Turkish army sent new reinforcements of special forces (commandos) to the southern state of Kilis, to reinforce units stationed on the border with Syria.
| Çavuşoوlu: 35 hours remain until the withdrawal of "terrorists" (Anatolia) |
Gavishoglu
On the other hand, Turkish Foreign Minister said during the opening of the forum "TRT World" in Istanbul today that his country is not against the Kurdish component, and it has received 350 thousand of them have taken refuge from Syria, stressing that Ankara's relations with the Kurdistan region of Iraq is very good.
He added that the Kurdish militias were seeking to establish a terrorist state adjacent to the Turkish border, and that his country was seeking to establish a safe area there with the United States, while the latter continued to support the Kurdish militias with weapons.
He also condemned the "disinformation campaigns" targeting Turkey since the start of the operation, noting that it remained 35 hours of the time limit for the withdrawal of "terrorists" under the Turkish-American agreement, and that if the terrorists did not withdraw from the safe area, the operation "spring of peace" "Will resume.
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Iran and Russia
On the other hand, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi told a weekly press conference today, "We oppose Ankara's establishment of military sites in Syria, issues should be resolved through diplomatic means, and the territorial integrity of Syria must be respected."
Sputnik quoted Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as saying during a visit to China on Tuesday that Moscow hoped coordination with Turkey and the United States in Syria would help enhance security and stability in the region.
Shuego added that the protection of prisons run by Kurdish militias in northern Syria and members of the Islamic State should be resolved urgently, adding that the Turkish operation left eight refugee camps and 12 prisons for foreign ISIS fighters unguarded.
"The Russian Defense Ministry has gained extensive experience in this area and we are ready to share with our partners in the Asia-Pacific region," he added.