France says securing military in Syria, US begins withdrawal Peace Spring

France said on Monday it was taking measures to ensure the safety of its military and civilian personnel in northeastern Syria as the United States begins to withdraw its forces from the area, TRT World reports.

"Measures will be taken in the coming hours to ensure the safety of French military and civilian personnel present in the zone as part of the international coalition fighting Islamic State [Daesh] and humanitarian action," the French presidency said in a statement after an emergency defence cabinet meeting. It did not provide further details.

Turkey to fight Daesh until total end of terror group

Turkey will continue its fights against Daesh until the terrorist group is completely wiped out, said a Turkish official on Sunday.

“Daesh is an enemy of Turkey, and we will not stop fighting them until they are completely eradicated,” Communications Director Fahrettin Altun wrote on Twitter.

“Turkey is focused and determined to continue the fight against Daesh, and is also a country that is fully dedicated to fighting these cowardly terrorists,” he stressed.

Altun shared a video of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with his remarks on Daesh and Turkey’s ongoing Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria.

“Turkey is the only country that actually fought against this coward terrorist organisation [Daesh]. Regarding the Daesh remnants who are still in Syria, I’m emphasising that we are ready to take on all responsibilities,” said Erdogan on Sunday.

“Despite this, those who continue to push accusations about our country regarding Daesh have no good intentions,” he added.

Top Turkish Cypriot officials back Turkey’s Syria op

Senior officials of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Sunday voiced support for Turkey’s recently launched operation in northern Syria.

“We're always together [with Turkey]. … The only right way for us is to act with Turkey and to stand shoulder to shoulder in this cause. People of TRNC stands by Turkey in it s Operation Peace Spring,” Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ersin Tatar told Turkey’s Communication Director Fahrettin Altun over the phone.

Tatar’s statement came after TRNC President Mustafa Akinci’s remarks against Turkey's military operation in Syria.

On Akinci’s remarks, Tatar said: “Turkish people should know that Ersin Tatar and his colleagues, National Unity Party, and other nationalists do not agree with those comments.”

People in Hasakeh celebrate after Syrian regime forces decision to deploy to the north - SANA

Crowds of people gathered in the streets of Hasakeh late on Sunday to celebrate a decision by the Syrian regime forces to send troops to the north, Syrian regime news agency SANA reported.

US pulling out of northern Syria

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that President Donald Trump had directed US troops in northern Syria to begin pulling out "as safely and quickly as possible." He did not say Trump ordered troops to leave Syria, but that seemed like the next step in a combat zone growing more unstable by the hour.

Esper, interviewed on two TV news shows, said the administration was considering its options.

"We have American forces likely caught between two opposing advancing armies and it's a very untenable situation," Esper said.

US withdraws forces from observation post in Syria

The US withdrew its forces from military observation post in south of Ayn al Arab in northern Syria, according to security sources.

The US started to withdraw from Ayn al Arab, also known as Kobani, at 15:00 pm local time 1200GMT.

Earlier, US Secretary of Defense Esper said that the US is preparing to evacuate about 1,000 US troops from northern Syria.

The decision came a week after US President Trump announced that the US would pull back its forces from the Syrian border after a telephone call with Turkish President Erdogan.

Macron holds emergency meeting

French President Emmanuel Macron is holding an emergency security meeting Sunday night to discuss the Turkish operation, and said he's working with Germany on unspecified new initiatives to end it.

Speaking Sunday alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Paris, Macron said the Turkish offensive is creating "unsustainable" humanitarian problems and risks "helping the Islamic State [Daesh] group re-emerge in the region."

Merkel echoed that view, insisting that the offensive "should be stopped."

She acknowledged that Turkey has "legitimate security concerns" but said different solutions need to be found for the region.

Germany and France have suspended arms sales to Turkey, and Macron said he and Merkel will continue to coordinate on "initiatives in the coming hours and days."

Merkel spoke by phone to Turkey's President Erdogan earlier Sunday.

Tal Abyad liberated by Turkish and allied forces – reports

The city centre of Syria's Tal Abyad district has been cleared of YPG/PKK terrorists.

Turkish troops and Turkey-backed Syrian National Army have taken control of the district, the second city centre after Ras al Ayn that was taken control of within the scope of the ongoing Operation Peace Spring.

So far, a total of two city centres, one town, and 56 villages have been liberated from YPG/PKK terrorists.

Anadolu Agency reporters in Turkey's border district of Akcakale in southeastern Sanliurfa province shot footage in which fighters of Syrian National Army can be seen cheering after taking control of the Tal Abyad city centre.

Turkey takes key M-4 highway in Syria

Turkey's defence ministry said that its forces had taken control of the key M-4 highway in northern Syria as part of its operation against PKK/YPG militants.

"Following successful operations as part of Operation Peace Spring, the M-4 highway has been brought under control after a 30-35 km-deep incursion," the ministry announced on Twitter.

Pentagon says up to 1,000 US troops to withdraw

US Defense Secretary Esper said on Sunday President Donald Trump had ordered the withdrawal of up to 1,000 troops from northern Syria.

"I spoke with the president last night after discussions with the rest of the national security team and he directed that we begin a deliberate withdrawal of forces from northern Syria," Esper told CBS's "Face the Nation."

Esper told Fox News that the number of troops being pulled back totaled "less than a thousand."

Syrian Kurds 'biggest' supporters of Turkish campaign – Turkey

President Erdogan said on Sunday that they received the biggest support for Turkey's Operation Peace Spring from Syrian Kurds.

"Our operation is not targeting the Kurds," Erdogan said in Istanbul.

He said Turkey will not allow the establishment of a terrorist state in northern Syria.

The ongoing military operation has killed 440 terrorists, injured 26 and captured 24, the president added.

"So far, there have been 652 mortar and rocket attacks on Turkey's provinces of Sanliurfa, Mardin, Sirnak, and Gaziantep fired by the YPG/PKK terrorists," Erdogan said.

He noted that 18 civilians, most of them children, were killed in PKK attacks on Turkey's border provinces and 147 people were wounded.

Battle for Tal Abyad rages on

Clashes between the Syrian National Army and PKK/YPG terrorists continues in the city of Tal Abyad as Turkey's Operation Peace Spring continues.

The area is an important location in Turkey's plan to create a safe zone in northern Syria to the east of the Euphrates River.

Turkish armed forces together with its allies, the Syrian National Army, have been successful in dismantling the terrorist corridor established by the PKK/YPG.

Turkish and SNA soldiers are currently trying to advance from the east and west of Tal Abyad's city.

They are facing resistance by PKK/YPG terrorists.

Turkish armed forces have deployed additional reinforcements to the area to assist in the battle.

Since the operation began five days ago, almost 500 terrorists have been killed.

District in Tal Abyad liberated

Turkey's Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria liberated a district in the city of Tal Abyad from terrorists on Sunday as it before moving into the city centre.

Suluk in southeastern Tal Abyad was cleared of YPG/PKK terrorists.

Turkish armed forces and its allies, the Syrian National Army are combing the area to ensure the safety of civilians.

So far, 42 villages in Tal Abyad and Ras al Ayn have been liberated.

PKK/YPG to withdraw 30km from Turkey's border

US President Trump has defended his decision to withdraw troops from northeast Syria and once again repeated a threat of sanctions against Turkey.

Trump also said PKK/YPG terrorists are intending to withdraw from an area 30 kilometres from the border with Turkey

But his main focus was on US troops as he spoke at the annual Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC.

"I don't think our soldiers should be there for the next 50 years guarding a border between Turkey and Syria when we can't guard our own borders at home," Trump says

“Sometimes we have to know what we are fighting for and we can’t stay there forever, we have to bring our great heroes, our great soldiers, we have to bring them home.”

Ras Al Ayn liberated

Successful operations in northern Syria by Turkey and Syrian National Army have lead to the liberation of the town Ras al Ayn from PKK/YPG terrorists as Operation Peace Spring continues, Turkey's Defence Ministry said.

According to the ministry, the battle for the strategic town was relatively quick as Turkish forces and Syrian National Army took control of surrounding villages first.

Earlier, the ministry also confirmed that overnight raids in the region were conducted successfully.

Land and air assaults were carried out resulting in a total of 459 terrorists being killed since the operation began.

Turkish-backed Syrian National Army have reached strategic M4 highway in northern Syria, as forces continue their advance deeper into the region as part of Operation Peace Spring,

In Turkey, a civilian succumbed to his wounds sustained from a cross-border mortar attack by YPG/PKK terrorists on Friday.

Meanwhile, Turkey's Minister of Defence Hulusi Akar and senior commanders are visiting the operations centre on Turkey-Syria border as Ankara's anti-terror campaign enters its fourth day.

Over 100,000 displaced

More than 100,000 people from the towns of Ras al Ayn and Tal Abyad have been displaced by the escalation of violence in Syria, the UN World Food Programme said on Saturday.

The World Food Programme and its partners will still support people in the northeast despite a deterioration in the security situation, it said.

About 580,000 of the people it feeds in the region are currently living in YPG-controlled areas