Turkey Says Struck 181 Targets Since Beginning of Operation in Northern Syria

ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th October, 2019) Turkey's military said on Thursday it had struck 181 targets since the beginning of its offensive against Kurdish-led militia in the north of Syria.

The offensive was launched on Wednesday. Turkey has been seeking to create a safe zone in Syria near its border and clean it of the Kurdish militia and members of the Islamic State terror group (banned in Russia).

"The Turkish Armed Forces struck 181 targets belonging to the terror organization, both from air and ground, as part of its Operation Peace Spring," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Turkey's offensive in northern Syria has been condemned by Damascus, which considers the operation a violation of Syria's territorial integrity.

Russia has called on Turkey to respect Syria's territorial integrity. Moscow has urged Ankara to assess the situation in order not to hamper earlier efforts to settle the Syrian crisis.

Several Arab countries have also criticized the offensive. Moreover, the Arab League said it would gather its member states' foreign ministers on Saturday to discuss the crisis.

The situation has also been condemned by the European Union. The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Poland and Belgium will request the UN Security Council to convene a meeting on Thursday morning to discuss the Turkish military operation in the north of Syria, Belgian Ambassador to the United Nations Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve told reporters.