Syria Kurds accuse Turkey of violating cease-fire
October 18, 2019, 7:21 AM PDT
Turkish-backed Syrian rebels seize border town of Ras al Ain - official
CEYLANPINAR, Turkey (AP) — The Kurdish-led administration in northern Syria accused Turkey on Friday of violating a U.S.-brokered cease-fire that went into effect overnight, as fighters from both sides clashed in and around a border town that has been one of the fiercest fronts in the Turkish invasion.
The town of Ras al-Ayn was emerging as an immediate test for the five-day cease-fire agreed on by Washington and Ankara. Before the deal's announcement, Turkish-backed forces had encircled the town and were battling fierce resistance from Kurdish fighters inside.
The Syrian Kurds raised further uncertainty over a cease-fire deal that already was vague on key points and left significant questions unanswered. The self-rule administration said some provisions of the cease-fire deal "need further discussion with the United States."
It did not specify which provisions, but the Kurds have not publicly committed to a central term of the deal — a pullout of their fighters from the border region. A spokesman for the Kurdish-led fighters said Friday they were not withdrawing from Ras al-Ayn because Turkish forces are still besieging and shelling it.
Criticism of the cease-fire deal — which President Donald Trump called "a great day for civilization" — mounted. EU Council President Donald Tusk said it was "not a cease-fire, it is a demand for the capitulation of the Kurds" and called on Turkey to immediately halt its operation in northeast Syria. French President Emmanuel Macron called the Turkish operation "madness."
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/fighting-kurdish-held-syrian-town-062059468.htmlTrump "Kurds were great" "Great day for the Kurds" " I just want to thank and congratulate, though President Erdogan. He's a friend of mine and I am glad we didn't have a problem" because frankly he's a hell of a leader. He did a terrific thing. What he did was very smart...………"
https://www.usatoday.com/media/cinematic/video/4012177002/trump-credits-tough-love-for-5-day-cease-fire/