13 dead, including 9 civilians, and tension in the border area
Military escalation in northern Syria..and bombing targets a popular market in the city of Al-Bab
The effects of the bombing on a crowded market in the Syrian city of Al-Bab.
AFP
Recep Tayyip Erdogan: “We have no ambitions in the Syrian territories, because the Syrian people are our brother.”
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Thirteen people have been killed since Thursday night as a result of a military escalation in northern Syria, including nine who were killed in a popular market, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The border area with Turkey has been witnessing tension for days, against the backdrop of clashes between the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Turkish forces and the Syrian factions loyal to them.
The escalation expanded to include the Syrian forces deployed at border points.
The observatory said that artillery shelling killed nine civilians, including children, and wounded 30 others in a popular market in the city of al-Bab in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo.
Syrian citizens and members of the Civil Defense rushed to the targeted place to evacuate the wounded, according to an AFP correspondent, who reported seeing body parts, destroyed vegetable vehicles and wounded children.
For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that his country has no ambitions in the Syrian territories.
The Turkish president told reporters upon his return from Ukraine in statements reported by Turkish media: "We have no ambitions in Syrian territory because the Syrian people are our brother, and the Syrian state must be aware of this."
The Turkish president reiterated that Ankara's army, which is in the areas of northern Syria bordering Turkey, is ready at any time to launch a new attack.
On the other hand, the Syrian Foreign Ministry announced that the US administration’s statements about the arrest of American citizens in Syria are misleading and far from logical, stressing that Washington has violated the provisions of the Vienna Conventions on consular and diplomatic relations when it turned a blind eye and even encouraged dozens of its citizens to travel to Syria and enter the country. their territories illegally, and to the areas where armed groups are present.
The ministry said in a statement: “Last week, misleading and illogical statements were issued by the US administration, represented by the US president and his foreign minister, which included false accusations of the Syrian government of kidnapping or arresting US citizens, including Austin Tice, the military in the US army, which the US government admitted years ago. That he and other Americans entered the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic illegally.”
"These American citizens that the Washington administration is talking about were communicating with armed groups that controlled some areas in Syria," the ministry added.
The ministry stressed that the Syrian government denies that it has kidnapped or disappeared any American citizen who entered its territory, or resided in areas under the sovereignty and authority of the Syrian government, and is committed to the principles of international law and the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
The statement added that "any dialogue or official communication with the US government side will only be public and based on respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, and non-interference in its internal affairs."
The statement called on the US side, immediately and unconditionally, to "withdraw its military forces that are present on Syrian territory, lift the cover and protection of armed groups, and put a final and unconditional end to the unilateral coercive measures imposed by successive US administrations on the Syrian people."
Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
• "Any dialogue or communication with the American side will only be public and based on respect for Syria's sovereignty and independence."
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