Turkey defiant on Syria operation as US demands ceasefire

CEYLANPINAR, Turkey: Turkey rebuffed international pressure to curb its military offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria on Wednesday as US President Donald Trump dispatched his deputy Mike Pence to Ankara to demand a ceasefire.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected any negotiations, telling parliament the only way to solve Syria´s problems was for the Kurdish forces to “lay down their arms... destroy all their traps and get out of the safe zone that we have designated. Battles raged in the key Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain on Wednesday, with Kurdish fighters burning tyres in a bid to blind Ankara´s warplanes and digging in against a ground offensive by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels. The operation, now in its second week, has triggered a flurry of diplomacy among major powers. Trump sent Pence along with his top diplomat Mike Pompeo to Turkey amid the greatest crisis in relations for decades between the NATO allies. Moscow has stepped into the void left by Trump´s withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria, deploying patrols to prevent clashes between Syrian and Turkish forces.

Russian TV showed its forces alongside Syrian government troops taking up positions in and around the town of Manbij following the US pull-back. The Kremlin said it would host Erdogan for a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the coming days, to ensure the operation does not turn into all-out war between Turkey and Syria.

Turkey detains nearly 200 for opposing Syria operation: Turkish police have detained nearly 200 people over their social media posts against its military offensive in Syria since the operation began last week, state news agency Anadolu said Wednesday. Of the 186 people held, 24 have been formally arrested, according to Anadolu. So far, 78 have been released and 40 freed under judicial control, while legal proceedings were ongoing for the rest, it said. Among those who had cases opened against them for “terrorist propaganda” against the operation this week were the co-presidents of the pro-Kurdish Peoples´ Democratic Party (HDP), Sezai Temelli and Pervin Buldan. Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring against Kurdish militants in Syria a week ago. It is thought to have widespread support at home, but has been widely criticised by the international community, who relied on Kurdish forces to fight the Islamic State group.