ANTAKYA (Turkey) /ANKARA (Pakistan Point news / Sputnik - 24th December, 2018) The Turkish Armed Forces were put on high alert on Sunday, with big military convoys having been sent toward the Syrian city of Manbij, a source in the Free Syrian Army (FSA), told Sputnik.
"On Sunday, large military convoys of the Turkish army from al-Rai and al-Bab districts started moving toward the city of Manbij in northern Aleppo province ... The Turkish army has put on high alert all armed group belonging to the Free Syrian Army preparing for the operation in Manbij and on the territories east of the Euphrates River," the source said.
According to the source, a Turkish military convoy has already arrived in Turkey's southeastern city of Kilis bordering Syria.
"The Turkish army plans to launch a military operation at the beginning of the next year and will be bombing the cities of Ras al-Ayn and Tell Abiad," the source added.
Meanwhile, the Dogan News Agency (DNA) also reported that Turkey was sending reinforcements and military equipment to the border province of Kilis. A convoy of some 100 vehicles carrying tanks, artillery guns and special forces reportedly arrived in the border region.
Part of the military equipment was left on Turkish territory, while the other was transferred to the border regions of Syria, which are either controlled by Turkey or by the opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA), according to the media outlet.
Earlier in December, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the Turkish army was ready to start an offensive on the Euphrates east bank against the Kurdish forces at the earliest opportunity. However, on Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that a military advance against Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria would be delayed until the US forces' pullout from the country is over.
