Russia asks Turkey to refrain from attacking

Erdogan vows a ground incursion into northern Syria..and the Kurds: they are ready

Syrian fighters and military vehicles during training carried out by the Turkish-backed "Suleiman Shah Division" in the Afrin region.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced yesterday that he would order a ground incursion into the Kurdish areas in northern Syria, while Russian negotiator Alexander Lavrentiev said that Russia had asked Turkey to refrain from launching a comprehensive ground offensive in Syria, because such moves could lead to an escalation of violence.

Erdogan stated that the new military offensive to be carried out "at a convenient time for us" would target the areas of Tal Rifaat, Manbij and Ayn al-Arab (Kobani).

"The day is approaching when the concrete tunnels that terrorists use for safety will become their graves," he said.

The Turkish Armed Forces have attacked 471 targets since they began their latest military offensive in northern Iraq and Syria.

Yesterday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that "254 terrorists have been neutralized," adding that "the operation will continue through air strikes and ground weapons."

Akar did not elaborate on possible civilian casualties.

On the other hand, the commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria stated that they are ready to confront a Turkish ground invasion.

The commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, told The Associated Press that they are ready for the Turkish incursion since launching a ground offensive in the region in 2019, adding, “We believe that we have reached a level where we can thwart any new attack.

At least the Turks will not be able to occupy more of our areas, and there will be a big battle.

He stressed, "If Turkey attacks any region, the scope of the war will expand to include all regions, and it will harm everyone."

He added, “We can say that our activity against (ISIS) with the international coalition has stopped, because we have become preoccupied with the Turkish attacks.

Our coordination and cooperation with the Russians on the ground was also affected by the Turkish attacks.

Abdi denied that the SDF had launched attacks on Turkish soil.

Mazloum called on Moscow and Damascus, as well as the Washington-led coalition in Syria to fight ISIS, which is allied with the Syrian Democratic Forces, to take a tougher stance to prevent a Turkish ground invasion, warning that such an invasion might harm attempts to fight the return of ISIS.

Russian negotiator Alexander Lavrentiev said that Russia asked Turkey to refrain from launching the attack, and Lavrentiev added, after a new round of Syrian talks with delegations from Turkey and Iran in Kazakhstan, "We hope that our discussions will reach Ankara, and that there will be other means to solve the crisis."

He went on to say that the United States is pursuing a "destructive" approach in northeastern Syria, and that resolving the Kurdish issue will be an important factor in achieving stability in the region.

He described the Kurds as "hostages of the United States," and said that this hinders a solution to the crisis.

"Without the American presence, the Kurdish issue could have been resolved very quickly, I am sure of that," Lavrentiev said.

Russia, Turkey and Iran pledged in a joint statement after the talks to resist "separatist plans aimed at undermining Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and threatening the national security of neighboring countries, with things such as cross-border attacks and penetration."

Lavrentiev said that the parties discussed the involvement of China in further talks in Astana as an observer, an idea that Iran agreed to, while Turkey is still considering it.

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