The Turkish army continues its aerial and artillery bombardment of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) positions in northern Syria, as part of the military operation launched by Turkey in northern Syria, which has completed its first week.

Meanwhile, the Syrian armed faction announced that it is looking forward to coordinating with the Syrian army to confront the Turkish attacks.

On the other hand, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that his country is determined to fully secure the border line with Syria and make every inch of Turkey safe.

Erdogan also confirmed earlier that his goal of the military operations in northern Syria is to establish a "security belt from west to east" along the southern borders of his country.

Since last Sunday, Turkey has launched a series of air raids and artillery strikes on northeastern Syria and sites of Kurdish fighters under the name "Operation Claw-Sword".

The security zone that Erdogan wants - de facto - will include the city of Ain al-Arab (Kobani, as the Kurds call it), which the Syrian Democratic Forces seized from Islamic State militants in 2015 with the support of the United States, and these forces are dominated by the Kurdish People's Protection Units.

Erdogan said - in a speech on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women - that "with the security belt that we are establishing outside our borders, we will defend the rights of millions of innocent women and children ... God willing, we will accomplish this (the region) along our entire borders from the West to the east as soon as possible.

The Turkish president - who intends to launch a ground attack "when the time comes" - has identified the Syrian towns (Tal Rifaat, Manbij and Ain al-Arab) to complete his 30-kilometer-deep security zone along the southern border.

He also stressed that his government's responsibility in managing the country requires holding accountable those he described as the killers of women and children.


coordination with Damascus

On the other hand, media outlets close to what is known as the Syrian Democratic Forces said that the Turkish army targeted with heavy artillery the vicinity of the city of Tal Rifaat in the northern countryside of Aleppo and three villages belonging to Ain al-Arab Kobani on the Syrian-Turkish border in northern Syria.

It added that 15 soldiers of the Syrian regime forces were killed as a result of the "recent Turkish escalation" that targeted points where these forces are stationed in the northern countryside of Aleppo.

The commander of what is known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, said that protecting northern Syria from Turkish attacks is the job of the Syrian army, indicating that his forces are looking forward to coordinating with the Syrian army to confront the Turkish attacks.

Abdi added - in statements reported by media close to him - that both America and Russia oppose the Turkish attack, but the international positions must be stronger with Turkey's determination to attack.

And he added that the US administration had officially informed him of its rejection of the Turkish operation and its contact with Ankara in order to stop it, he said.

He also confirmed that his forces are ready for any Turkish attack, and the battle will be different from the previous ones, and that the operations against the Turkish forces are within the Syrian territories, but if Turkey starts the war, the entire Syrian-Turkish border will flare up, as he put it.

On the other hand, the US Central Command said that two missiles of unknown origin targeted the coalition forces at the US base in Al-Shaddadi, Syria, but did not result in injuries or damage to the base.

The command added that what is known as the Syrian Democratic Forces inspected the site where the two shells were fired and found a third shell that was not fired.

The US Central Command confirmed that these attacks endanger the coalition forces and civilians and undermine security and stability in Syria and the region.


Turkish dead

In Iraq, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that two members of its forces were killed yesterday in the area of ​​military operations in the north of the country.

This brings the death toll of the Turkish army during its operations against the PKK strongholds in northern Iraq to three.

The ministry also indicated that its forces neutralized seven members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.