Turkish forces kill 637 YPG/PKK terrorists in Syria Peace Spring

Turkish forces have killed a total of 637 YPG/PKK terrorists as part of Turkey's anti-terror operation in Syria, Turkey's National Defense Ministry said.

The announcement came via the ministry's official Twitter account , TRT World told.

Turkey's Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria entered its eighth day today.

Erdogan rejects call for ceasefire in Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he rejected a call from US President Donald Trump to declare a ceasefire and halt Turkey's anti-terror Operation Peace Spring in northeastern Syria.

Erdogan said, "They say 'declare a ceasefire.' We could never declare a ceasefire against terrorists."

He also said that Turkey's operation in northern Syria will continue until all of its objectives are met and that he is not worried about sanctions, according to a report on local NTV.

The Turkish president added that talks with US and Russia on Syrian towns of Ayn al Arab and Manbij continue.

Syrian regime's entry into Manbij 'not very negative'

Turkish President Erdogan said the Syrian regime's presence in northern city of Manbij was not a "very negative" development for his country, in comments published in the Hurriyet daily on Wednesday.

"The regime's entry into Manbij is not a very, very negative (development) to us. Why? Because it is their own land," Erdogan told journalists in a plane en route from Azerbaijan. He added that although the regime's movement was not concerning, he did not want any terrorists to remain there.

The Turkish president also said that an attack from northern Syria's Manbij town that killed one Turkish soldier, earlier on Tuesday, was launched by Syrian regime forces and Turkey's retaliatory fire had made the regime pay a heavy price in response.

Turkish, Russian leaders discuss Syria over phone

Turkey's President Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed bilateral relations and regional developments over the phone late Tuesday.

According to Turkey's Directorate of Communications, Erdogan and Putin also discussed Turkey’s counter-terror operation in northern Syria and the Turkish president apprised his Russian counterpart of the operation's contribution to protecting Syria’s territorial integrity and political resolution process.

US VP, top diplomat to visit Turkey for talks

US Vice President Mike Pence will depart for Turkey to hold talks with top officials regarding Ankara’s ongoing Operation Peace Spring in northeastern Syria, President Donald Trump said.

Pence will be accompanied by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo when he departs Wednesday, Trump said in remarks delivered at the White House.

The vice president's office released a statement adding Pence will be further accompanied by National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien, and Trump's special envoy for the anti-Daesh coalition James Jeffrey.

"In Turkey, the Vice President will voice the United States’ commitment to reach an immediate ceasefire and the conditions for a negotiated settlement," it said.

Pence is set to meet with Turkish President Erdogan a bilateral meeting for a bilateral meeting, according to the office.

Operation Peace Spring clears 1,000 sq km of terrorists

Just seven days after it began, Turkey’s ongoing anti-terror operation has cleared a vast area of northern Syria from terrorist oppression, according to Turkish President Erdogan.

“As of this morning [Tuesday], we have liberated an area of around 1,000 square kilometres from the occupation of the separatist terror group,” Erdogan told the 7th Summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) in Azerbaijan's capital Baku.

“Terror groups are the biggest source of threat to peace, tranquillity, and stability in our region,” Erdogan said.

Britain backs Turkey at NATO meet

Close allies of Britain have condemned it for defending Turkey's operation in northern Syria in a Nato meeting in London, The Telegraph reported on Monday.

It said the UK was left isolated after Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the gathering that "Turkey needs to do what it sometimes has to do to defend itself."

"It is absolutely clear that Turkey has had, and still does have, a threat emanating towards it from groups such as the PKK, a terrorist organisation in this country as well, and that Turkey needs to do what it sometimes has to do to defend itself," Wallace said.

"However, it is our view that what has happened at present needs to be taken in a measured way in order for that security to take place for Turkey, but in a way that upholds the value of international law and humanitarian rights."

UN says 160,000 refugees flee region

The UN humanitarian aid coordinator said at least 160,000 civilians in northeastern Syria have been displaced amid Turkey's anti-terror Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria.

Spokesman Jens Laerke of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says most of the displacement has taken place from the towns of Ras al Ayn and Tal Abyad, where people are fleeing south.

Separately, spokesman Rupert Colville of the UN human rights office said it was "not seeing large numbers of civilian casualties" so far – "a few each day" – but people were being killed on both sides of the Syria-Turkey border.

Volkswagen delays decision on new Turkey factory

Volkswagen has delayed a decision over whether to build a new factory in Turkey over Ankara's anti-terror operation in northeastern Syria, a spokesman for the German car giant said.

While an announcement had been expected on a new factory worth up to $1.3 billion (1.5 billion euros) with 4,000 jobs, "the Volkswagen board has delayed the decision. We are carefully observing the present situation and view current developments with concern," the spokesman said.

World should either join Turkey or accept refugees – Erdogan

In an opinion piece published by the Wall Street Journal , Erdogan said that in the absence of an alternative plan to deal with the refugee crisis in the Middle East, the international community should either join Turkey's efforts to end the humanitarian crisis and address the violence and instability that are the root causes of irregular migration in the region or begin admitting refugees.

Following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Turkey spent $40 billion as it took in 3.6 million Syrian refugees – more than any other country – and "shouldered the burden of hosting millions of war victims with very little help from the international community".

He added that Turkey's Operation Peace Spring was launched along the same lines to clear northern Syria of terrorist elements that are "preventing Syrian refugees, including some 300,000 Kurds, from returning home".

Erdogan further said that the Turkish state has no argument with any ethnic or religious group but stressed that Ankara's mission is simultaneously to combat the terrorist organisation known as the PKK, along with its Syrian affiliates YPG, and Daesh.

He emphasised on Ankara's objection to "equation of the PKK with the Syrian Kurds" as well as the "equation of ISIS [Daesh], which has murdered thousands of innocent people, with Islam."

Erdogan also expressed his resolve to "ensure that no ISIS [Daesh] fighters leave northeastern Syria."

He also slammed European and Arab League countries and asked: "Since they are so unhappy with Turkey’s efforts to reunite Syrian refugees with their ancestral lands, how many war victims have they admitted? How much did they contribute to efforts to end the humanitarian crisis in Syria? Which political initiatives did they support to stop the civil war?"

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