Indications are increasing that the ground operation that Turkish forces may launch in northern Syria against Kurdish militants is imminent, while the Kurdish units have sought help from Washington and Moscow to prevent a possible attack.
The German Press Agency quoted what it described as well-informed sources in the Syrian opposition, that Ankara has withdrawn all Turkish press teams from the regions of northern Syria and is now using local correspondents, indicating the possibility of launching the ground operation soon.
The same sources indicated that the Turkish press teams left the areas of contact lines in the northern countryside of Aleppo and the city of Ras al-Ain in the northwestern countryside of Hasakah and moved to the Turkish border cities.
within a week
A military commander in the Syrian National Army of the Syrian opposition confirmed the end of all preparations for the launch of the military operation against the so-called "Syrian Democratic Forces" (SDF), of which the Kurdish units are the main component.
He said that they are awaiting the decision of the joint operations room consisting of the Turkish army and the leaders of the armed opposition factions, indicating that the launch will be from the northern and eastern countryside of Aleppo.
The Syrian commander - who attended a meeting in the town of Hawar Kilis in the northern countryside of Aleppo - added that the Turkish officers informed the leaders of the factions that Russia is leading negotiations with the "Syrian Democratic Forces" to hand over the areas of the Aleppo countryside to the Syrian regime, but he ruled out that those forces would agree to hand over the areas under their control.
The military commander himself suggested that the Turkish ground operation would begin within the next few days and not exceed a week.
Additional indications
In another indication, Turkish officials said that the army only needs a few days to be ready for a ground incursion into northern Syria.
The commander of what is known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, said in an interview with Reuters that their forces are still afraid of a Turkish ground attack, despite US assurances that this will not happen.
Erdogan stressed that Turkey will not ask anyone's permission to fight "terrorist" organizations in northern Syria (Anatolia)
In Ankara, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said that the Turkish military ground operation could begin at any time, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials had previously made similar statements.
A few days ago, Turkey launched the "claw-sword" operation against the Kurdish units in northern and northeastern Syria, after accusing them of masterminding the bombing that took place in Istanbul and killed 6 people, which was denied by the Kurdish militants.
The Turkish forces launched air and ground strikes on the positions of the Kurdish units in the countryside of the governorates of Aleppo, Hasakah and Raqqa, and Turkish officials confirmed that the strikes resulted in the killing of hundreds of Kurdish militants.
Calls to America and Russia
Meanwhile, the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, called on Washington to send a stronger warning message to Turkey after it mobilized "unprecedented Turkish reinforcements" at the border with Syria.
Abdi also said, after his meeting with the commander of the Russian forces in Syria, Alexander Chaiko, at the Qamishli military airport (northeastern Syria), that he had asked the Russians to stop the Turkish attacks, adding that "what is clear so far is that the Turks insist on launching the ground operation."
Regarding cooperation with the Syrian regime, Abdi said that his forces would not rely on the "relatively weak" air defenses of the Syrian regime to counter Turkish air strikes, as he described it.
The US National Security Council Communications Coordinator, John Kirby, said yesterday, Monday, that Turkey has the right to defend what he described as terrorism on its own behalf.
However, Kirby indicated that his country opposes any move that might affect the continuation of the war against the Islamic State organization or cause casualties among civilians.
Besides Washington, Moscow has expressed its opposition to the Turkish military operations against the Kurdish militants in northern Syria.
For his part, the UN Special Envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, said today, Tuesday, that there are signs of what he called a dangerous escalation in northern Syria, which will endanger regional stability, as he put it.
Turkey terms
Earlier, Turkish official sources told Al-Jazeera that the Russian side is making efforts to meet Turkey's demands in northern Syria as an alternative to the military operation, adding that Ankara stipulated the withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces from Manbij, Ayn al-Arab (Kobani) and Tal Rifaat.
Turkey also stipulated the return of the institutions of the Syrian regime as an alternative to the Syrian Democratic Forces, including the security forces and border guards, and gave Ankara a time limit to meet its conditions, otherwise the alternative would be a ground operation.
On the other hand, Kurdish media quoted a spokesman for the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces as saying that they reject Turkey's demands and conditions in its meetings with the Russians, because they do not suit the requirements of its people.