Turkish army launches push into Syria, air strikes hit border town – World

Turkey on Wednesday launched a military operation against Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria, with air strikes in the border town of Ras al Ain.

President Tayyip Erdogan, announcing the start of the action, said the goal was to eliminate what he called a "terror corridor" on the southern border of Turkey.

Turkey had been prepared to move toward northeastern Syria since US troops began evicting the area in an abrupt change in policies by US President Donald Trump, widely criticized in Washington as a betrayal of Kurdish militia allies of U.S.

A Turkish security source told Reuters that the military operation in Syria began with air strikes and will be supported by artillery and howitzer fire.

Editorial: Turkish offensive

Several large explosions shook Ras al Ain, just across the border in front of the Turkish city of Ceylanpinar, a CNN The Turkish reporter said, adding that the sound of the planes could be heard above. Smoke was coming out of the buildings in Ras al Ain, he said.

World powers fear that the action may open a new chapter in the war in Syria and worsen regional turmoil. Ankara has said he intends to create a "safe zone" to return millions of refugees to Syrian soil.

Erdogan told Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in a phone call that the operation would help peace and stability in Syria.

But Syria said it was determined to face any Turkish aggression by all legitimate means.

Turkey considers YPG's Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria as terrorists because of its ties with militants who are fighting an insurgency within Turkey, an influx of non-Kurdish Syrians would help secure a buffer against their main security threat.

Amid growing humanitarian concern, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged all parties in northeastern Syria to exercise maximum restraint and protect civilians.

Kurdish-led forces denounced the change in US policy as a "stab in the back." Trump denied having abandoned the forces, the most capable American partners to fight the militant group of the Islamic State in Syria.