Turkey launches military offensive in Syria days after Trump announced pullback of US troops, India slams the unilateral attack
India on Thursday slammed Turkey's unilateral military offensive in northeast Syria, saying it can undermine stability in the region and the fight against terrorism.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said "We are deeply concerned at the unilateral military offensive by Turkey in north-east Syria."
It said that Turkey's action also has the potential for causing humanitarian and civilian distress.
We defeated 100% of the ISIS Caliphate and no longer have any troops in the area under attack by Turkey, in Syria. We did our job perfectly! Now Turkey is attacking the Kurds, who have been fighting each other for 200 years....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2019
....We have one of three choices: Send in thousands of troops and win Militarily, hit Turkey very hard Financially and with Sanctions, or mediate a deal between Turkey and the Kurds!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2019
New Delhi called upon Ankara to exercise restraint and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. India also urged for peaceful settlement of all issues through dialogue and discussion.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced air raids on Tuesday aimed at removing Kurdish-led forces from the border area.
The move came after the US announced it was withdrawing its troops from the region, leaving the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), its main ally in the battle against the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group, without US military support.
Heavy clashes between Turkish forces and the SDF were reported in the Syrian border towns.
The SDF, led by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), has appealed to the US and its allies for a "no-fly zone" to protect it from Turkish air attacks. Turkey considers the YPG a "terrorist" group.
