Despite Ankara’s announcement of a five-day truce, sporadic clashes between Turkish forces and Kurdish forces were ongoing in a battleground Syrian border town of Serêkaniyê in Syrian Kurdistan, also shelling heard around the town. October 18, 2019. Photo: AFP
Shelling heard around Syrian town after Turkish-U.S. ceasefire deal
SEREKANIYE, Syrian Kurdistan,— A Syrian ceasefire brokered by Vice President Mike Pence in Turkey had already been broken by Friday morning as gunfire and shelling was heard in the border city of Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ain) in Syrian Kurdistan.
Sporadic clashes between Turkish forces and Kurdish forces were ongoing in a battleground Serêkaniyê on Friday, a monitor said, despite Ankara’s announcement of a five-day truce.
“There are sporadic artillery strikes and you can hear shooting in the town of Ras al-Ain,” said Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
He said both the Turkish military and its Syrian allies were involved in the fighting with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Machine-gun fire and shelling could be heard from the Turkish town of Ceylanpinar across the border from Serêkaniyê, and smoke rose from one part of the Syrian town.
Serêkaniyê has been a major goal of the Turkish offensive since its launch on October 9, 2019 but the town’s Kurdish defenders have put up fierce resistance.
Turkey announced a 120-hour suspension of its offensive late Thursday, and Abdul Rahman said there was a lull in fighting in much of the rest of northeastern Syria.
Under the deal reached after US Vice President Mike Pence flew to Ankara, Kurdish forces are required to withdraw from a border strip 32 kilometres (20 miles) deep, which will become the “safe zone” long sought by Turkey.
The SDF said they were “ready to abide by the ceasefire” in the border strip between Serêkaniyê and Girê Spî (Tel Abyad).
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