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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Kurdish forces evacuated the embattled border town of Sari Kani on Sunday, according to Rudaw’s reporter in northeast Syria.
Sari Kani, which faced a fierce Turkish offensive for 11 days, was included in a US-Turkey ceasefire agreement that stipulated the Kurdish group the People’s Protection Units (YPG) withdraw from the town.
The fighting was traumatic for residents.
"Turkey came, brought Daesh on our heads, and kicked us Kurds out," a Kurdish civilian from Sari Kani who declined to give his name told Rudaw, using the Arabic name for the Islamic State (ISIS). The civilian is now heading to the safer city of Hasakah.
The Kurdistan Red Crescent started evacuating civilians on Saturday and concluded the evacuation today when Kurdish forces left the town.
Another convoy of Heyva Sor's team has reached Ras al-Ain (Serêkaniye) to evacuate the rest of the wounded and martyrs.
— Heyva Sor a Kurdistanê (@Heyva__Sor) October 20, 2019
قافلة أخرى من مسعفينا يدخلون رأس العين(سري كانيه) لاجلاء الجرحى و الشهداء. https://t.co/n3g6PY9yKM
The entry came after accusations by Kurdish forces that Turkey had blocked a withdrawal path for the evacuation.
Rudaw’s reporter on the ground confirmed that there was a withdrawal of Kurdish forces and the town is empty of their presence.
A thirty-year old local source based in Tel Tamr to the south of Sari Kani confirmed that a number of vehicles and ambulances did withdraw from Sari Kani, numbering up to 30.
(Video provided by local source from Tel Tamr to Rudaw showing the withdrawal from Sari Kani)
The first three ambulances which contained injured fighters sped off towards Hasakah where there is a major hospital the source, who declined to give his name, told Rudaw.
The other vehicles withdrew at a normal pace to Tel Tamr, carrying “light arms”, and are currently based in Tel Tamr, according to the source.
This evacuation led by the Kurdistan Red Crescent concludes the presence of Kurdish forces and civilians in the area.
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spokesperson Kino Gabriel confirmed on Sunday that all their forces left Sari Kani. The YPG leads the multi-ethnic SDF.
As part of the agreement to pause militaty operations with Turkey with American mediaition.
— SDF Spokesperson (@SdfSpokesperson) October 20, 2019
Today, we have evacuated the city of Ras Al-Ain from all SDF fighters. We don't have any more fighters in the city.
Kino Gabriel
SDF Spokesperson
On Saturday, after a day of being denied entry on the day prior, the Kurdish Red Crescent was able to make into Sari Kani to evacuate injured civilians. Tens of injured people were evacuated, but some were not reachable, according to the Kurdish group.
The evacuation had to be done as Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to restart operations following the ceasefire n if there is no withdrawal by the Kurdish forces.
On October 6, following a phone call with the Turkish President, US President Donald Trump announced that the US would not prevent a long-planned Turkish operation into Kurdish-controlled territories into northeast Syria.
Later, on October 9, the Turkish offensive named "Operation Peace Spring" was formally launched, with the stated aim of clearing the border of Kurdish forces and resettling up to 3,000,000 million Syrian refugees currently in Turkey in the area. Kurds have said this amounts to forced demographic change.
Turkey considers the YPG, which the US backed against the Islamic State (IS), to be an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants in Turkey.
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