RTTue, 20 Feb 2018 17:44 UTC
© RT Arabic stringer
A convoy of fighters waving Syrian flags has apparently entered the northern Kurdish-held region of Afrin, which Turkey is targeting in a cross-border operation, footage on Syrian state TV shows.
The pro-government fighters were filmed entering the village of Nubul in some 20 pickup trucks.
An RT source on the ground has confirmed the movement of troops to Afrin.A reporter at the scene for Syrian state agency SANA that the area where the fighters arrived has already been targeted by an attack from the Turkish side.
Turkish media later reported that an artillery attack on the convoy forced it to retreat.
The deployment comes after a reported deal between Damascus and Kurdish authorities, which sought the involvement of the central government amid a continued fight against Turkey and the militias supported by Ankara.
Turkish officials earlier warned that their forces would lay siege to the city of Afrin if pro-Damascus fighters show up there.
Comment: Here's how Syria's
official news network reported on the convoy, before it arrived:
SANA's reporter in Aleppo said on Monday that popular forces are to arrive in Afrin area soon to support locals in facing the aggression launched by the Turkish regime on the area since January 20th.
The reporter said that the arrival of popular forces will strengthen the locals' resilience and resistance against the Turkish aggression which targets infrastructure, public and private properties, and economic and services establishments.
The Turkish regime has been waging a barbaric aggression on Afrin area for almost a month, using various types of weapons and shells including the internationally-prohibited chlorine gas, killing and injuring hundreds of civilians and destroying infrastructure, properties, and historical landmarks.
After the Syrian forces entered Afrin, they were reportedly forced to
retreat. However, the Syrian Army so far has not confirmed either entering Afrin or the subsequent retreat.
According to the previous reports of the Turkish news agency Anadolu, the Syrian military retreated some 10km (6.2 miles) away from Afrin.
YPG representative in Afrin Brusk Haseke told Sputnik earlier in the day that the Syrian government forces have entered Afrin besieged by the Turkish military. The Syrian armed forces, however, yet to confirm this information.
"Yes, this is true. Today the Syrian government army entered Afrin in order to defend the city from the Turkish Armed Forces and the Free Syrian Army jointly with the Kurdish forces of the YPG. The government forces have come to help the people of Afrin. We cannot report on the number of soldiers that entered Afrin. This is military information."
At the same time, the Syrian state TV has shown a convoy, what it says are pro-government forces, entering Afrin.
The troops, wearing camouflage fatigues and waving weapons and Syrian flags from their vehicles are seen on the screen, Reuters said.
Meanwhile, the Syrian TV reports of the shelling of the Syrian government forces, which had entered Afrin by the Turkish military.
However, no official confirmation to this has followed from both - the Syrian and the Turkish sides.
Turkey's Warning Against Entering Afrin
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier in the day that Turkish army would encircle Afrin to speed up its operation, adding that possible deployment of Syrian government forces into the city had been "halted through our communications."
The day before, a senior Kurdish official said that Syrian Kurdish forces and the country's government had agreed on the deployment of Syrian army troops along border positions in the Afrin region to curb the Turkish campaign.
Later on, Syrian state television channel Ikhbariya reported that pro-Syrian government forces would enter Syria's Afrin area "within hours."
However, this information has been refuted by Brusk Haseke, who had called them false and fake news in his interview to Sputnik, saying that the Syrian government forces would not enter Afrin.
Commenting on reports, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said that if Syrian armed forces entered Afrin to support Kurdish militants, this would lead to a catastrophe, giving a green light to split the country.
What a mess. The Syrian government has a good motivation for assisting the Kurds, both to gain concessions from them not to cause further trouble and also to solidify good will by fighting together as common Syrians. But it can't be seen by the Kurds as mere politicking; there need to be stakes involved. So even then, it makes sense that Turkey would continue its assault on the area. Whether this will work or not is another matter. The Kurds have been hesitant to concede anything in order to receive Syrian protection. And it's unclear what Turkey will accept as reasonable terms for them to cease their Afrin operation.
Comment: Here's how Syria's official news network reported on the convoy, before it arrived: After the Syrian forces entered Afrin, they were reportedly forced to retreat. However, the Syrian Army so far has not confirmed either entering Afrin or the subsequent retreat. What a mess. The Syrian government has a good motivation for assisting the Kurds, both to gain concessions from them not to cause further trouble and also to solidify good will by fighting together as common Syrians. But it can't be seen by the Kurds as mere politicking; there need to be stakes involved. So even then, it makes sense that Turkey would continue its assault on the area. Whether this will work or not is another matter. The Kurds have been hesitant to concede anything in order to receive Syrian protection. And it's unclear what Turkey will accept as reasonable terms for them to cease their Afrin operation.