Syria Kurds call for humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians
Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria on Thursday called in a statement for a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from a flashpoint border town encircled by Ankara's forces, as Turkey's offensive enters its ninth day.
The appeal for a civilian exit from Ras Al-Ain comes after Turkey's Syrian proxies hit a health facility in the town, trapping patients and staff inside, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Meanwhile, US Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Turkey on Thursday in a bid to secure a cease-fire to halt the Turkish offensive in Syria.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived earlier on a separate plane. They are due to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The visit comes a day after Erdogan firmly ruled out any negotiations with Kurdish militants in Syria, saying their only option was to lay down arms and retreat.
The United States has demanded a cease-fire in Turkey’s more than week-old operation in northern Syria.
President Donald Trump, facing with mounting criticism over the abrupt pullout of US troops, has denied he gave Erdogan a “green light” to launch the offensive.