WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th October, 2019) The US military used a show of force in Syria to disrupt and deter Turkish-backed troops who came too close to an American base, media reported.
The US military sent F-15 fighter jets and Apache gunships as part of the show of force after the Turkish-backed fighters came too close to troops based west of Ain Issa in Syria, Fox news said on Tuesday.
A US official told the media outlet that Turkish-backed troops had violated a standing agreement which is not to threaten American forces.
Turkey launched an offensive in northern Syria on October 9 in a bid to create a "safe zone" along the border that would be free of Kurdish militias, whom it considers an extension of the Kurdistan Worker's Party (banned by Ankara). Turkish troops have already claimed control over the cities of Ras al-Ain and Tell Abiad.
As the United States has started pulling its troops out of the areas of the Turkish offensive, leaving the allied Kurds on their own, the latter have turned to Damascus for help. The government troops have since been deployed to the north to assist them in repelling the Turkish offensive.
The international community has already voiced concerns that the Turkish incursion could worsen the humanitarian situation in the region and hamper the efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis.
