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AFP
Arrived in the Kurdish city of Syria,
Hours after the government agreed to help the Kurdish army in Turkey, Syrian troops began to reach north of North Korea.
State media reported that the Russian-backed government troops entered the strategic city Tal Tamer, 30 km south of the Turkish border.
The deal said it would withdraw its troops from northern Syria after Kurd's main ally, the United States.
Turkey's attack target is to push the Kurdish army out of the border area.
The region controlled by the Syrian Democratic Party (SDF), led by Kurds, was heavily bombed on weekends by benefiting from the major border cities of Ras al-Ain and Tal Abyad.
Dozens of civilians and fighters died on both sides.
On Sunday, US Defense Secretary Mark Espfer announced that the Pentagon was moving up to 1,000 troops from the north, expressing concern that the US forces would be trapped between "two opposing armies."
Turkey's offensive and US withdrawal have been criticized internationally. The SDF was a major Western alliance in defeating the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria. There is concern about the resurrection of the group and the escape of prisoners in unstable circumstances.
What is known about the deal?
According to the Kurdish-led administration in northern Syria, the Sunday agreement states that Syrian troops "rebound" along the border area controlled by Kurdish [Turkish] aggression".
It is the first time that government troops have entered the area since 2012, when troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad pulled out to fight the rebels elsewhere so that they could control the Kurdish militia.
The deal was said to have been kicked out by President Donald Trump after withdrawing dozens of US troops from the northeastern pocket last week.
This action effectively developed Turkey's way of looking at the elements of the Kurdish group in Syria with the expansion of the forbidden Kurdish Workers' Party, which Turkey fought for Turkey's Kurdish autonomy for 30 years.
In addition to being an important partner in fighting IS in Syria, the Kurds were Washington's basics in limiting the influence and maintaining some leverage of Russia and Iran, President Assad and major rivals of US rivals.
Currently, Turkey will not deploy a Syrian army between Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain. According to state media, in addition to Tal Tamer, the government also entered Ain.
Crisis for NATO
The crisis in northeastern Syria had a real political impact on NATO. Immediate fear is that a lot of progress to defeat the IS can be undone.
President Trump's willingness to throw Kurds at wolves did not fit well with many allies. France, Germany, and perhaps less English, all urged the Turks to stop the operation. Spain threatened to withdraw Patriot missile batteries from Turkey.
Trump, who hardly tried to stop the operation, threatened to destroy and wipe out badly if the Turkish economy went too far.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Turkey would remain an important member of the allies despite his deep concerns. He insisted that NATO would overcome the current division. But the recent decision to buy Russian anti-aircraft missiles in this crisis has a clear meaning that Turkey is slowly drifting away.
What is the international response?
On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan added that Turkey would not withdraw an attack "no matter what someone said" and that the operation would continue until the "best victory" was achieved.
Turkey seeks to move the Kurdish army away from the "safe zone" of 32 km to Syria, and to re-establish up to 2 million Syrian refugees now in Turkey. Many of them are not Kurds, and critics have warned that this could lead to ethnic cleansing of Kurdish people.
Prime Minister Erdogan said the Russian government, which is an ally, regularly contacts the Turkish authorities, saying it does not want to entertain the possibility of a clash between the Russian and Turkish forces in Syria.
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early, Trump suggested that Kurdish forces may have released IS prisoners. In order to put America into conflict, "Big sanctions are coming!" He added without giving details.
In other developments:
- The EU foreign commission called for Turkey to withdraw its troops from northern Syria, saying the attack "has severely undermined stability and security in the entire region."
- EU countries have promised to cease weapons exports to Turkey, but have failed to reach EU-wide arms embargo.
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate expansion of hostilities
What about the earth situation?
At least 50 civilians were killed in Syria on the southern Turkish border. According to Turkey, the Kurdish army has confirmed 56 deaths, and Turkey says four soldiers and 16 Syrian fighters were killed in Syria.
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According to OCHA, a UN humanitarian agency, up to 160,000 civilians have been deported.
The battle has flowed into areas close to IS camps, and Ain Issa camp officials say nearly 800 foreign IS member relatives have escaped. The camp has about 12,000 victims, including about 1,000 foreign women and children with jihad links previously.
Turkey said it would be responsible for the IS prisoners found during the attack.
President Erdogan said on Tuesday that his troops had already occupied 109 square kilometers of territory, including 21 villages.
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