Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched an operation against Kurdish-led militias in northeastern Syria. Ankara sees the Kurdish militias as terrorists and argues an offensive is needed to bring “peace” to the region.

The operation targets not only Kurdish-led militias, that Ankara believes to be affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group which is outlawed in Turkey, but also Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorists, according to Erdogan.

#OperationPeaceSpring will neutralize terror threats against Turkey and lead to the establishment of a safe zone, facilitating the return of Syrian refugees to their homes.

We will preserve Syria’s territorial integrity and liberate local communities from terrorists.

— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) October 9, 2019

Turkish warplanes have started to carry out airstrikes on civilian areas. There is a huge panic among people of the region.

— Mustafa Bali (@mustefabali) October 9, 2019

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Source: RT