Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu said on Monday Ankara
will not allow the town of Azaz in northern Syria to fall to the Kurdish
YPG forces and promised the "harshest reaction," if the group attempts
to re-take the city.
"YPG
elements were forced away from around Azaz. If they approach again they
will see the harshest reaction. We will not allow Azaz to fall," Davutoglu told reporters aboard his plane bound for Ukraine, Reuters reported.He said the Turkish military would render Syria’s Menagh air base "unusable" if YPG forces do not retreat from the area, which they previously captured from Islamist militants. He warned the YPG not to move east of its Afrin region or west of the Euphrates River.
Turkish security forces hit Kurdish militia targets in Syria for the third day in a row Monday. A Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman said the strikes came after a border security outpost was attacked in the morning.
"Today our border security outpost in the Hatay area at the Syrian border was attacked. Retaliation shots were fired in return," spokesman Tanju Bilgic told reporters.
News has also come in that missiles hit a children’s hospital, a school and other locations in Azaz, killing more than 14 people, according to a medic and two residents who were cited by Reuters. Speaking at a press conference in Kiev, Ukraine, Davutoglu claimed that a “Russian ballistic missile launched from the Caspian Sea” hit both the school and the hospital.
Meanwhile, a Turkish security official speaking with Reuters said seven Russian missiles struck a hospital.
“It’s an absolutely unacceptable situation – what’s going on there on the Turkish-Syrian border. Syria complained to the Security Council, and provided all the materials on this issue. We will definitely support raising this issue in the Security Council,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told RT on Monday. “The international community and the global media is so concerned about the humanitarian situation in Syria, about accusing Russia in doing this or that and they paid no attention toward what’s going on not far from or just on the Turkish-Syrian border and what Turks are doing there and the humanitarian situation there - it’s a disaster.”
“We are concerned about the situation north of Aleppo and are working to de-escalate tensions on all sides,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. “We have also seen reports of artillery fire from the Turkish side of the border and urged Turkey to cease such fire.”
“We are concerned about the situation north of Aleppo and are working to de-escalate tensions on all sides,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. “We have also seen reports of artillery fire from the Turkish side of the border and urged Turkey to cease such fire.”
Bilgic added Turkey will not seek permission to fight against "any terrorist organizations."
The French Foreign Ministry also urged Turkey to halt the artillery strikes on Kurdish areas in Syria.
"France is worried about the deteriorating situation in the region of Aleppo and the north of Syria. We call for the cessation of all bombardments, those of the regime and its allies on the entire territory and those of Turkey in the Kurdish zones," Paris said in a statement.
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