Turkish army reportedly making advances toward Kobani

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A source close to the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) reported Saturday evening that Turkish troops have been advancing toward the city of Kobani.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the Turkish forces, using bulldozers, have been digging trenches near Kobani’s Mursheed Pnary gate.

Turkey crossed into Syria on Wednesday as part of an offensive with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to rout Islamic State (ISIS) militants from the town of Jarablus and eliminate “terrorists” on its border, referring to both ISIS and the YPG. Turkish border towns have been repeatedly shelled by ISIS in northern Syria. 

Earlier Saturday, the YPG announced that Turkish planes had bombarded its forces, while on the ground they had clashed with FSA forces backed by Turkey and with the Syrian Democratic forces (SDF). 

 

The YPG said in a tweet earlier Saturday that civilians had been killed and wounded in the Turkish airstrikes and shelling south of Jarablus. 

In Derik and around Manbij, clashes took place between YPG and Turkish forces on Saturday. The YPG said that Turkish bombing of areas in Syrian Kurdistan, or Rojava, was ongoing.

On Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Turkish forces used heavy machinegun fire in the Afrin countryside, an area under the control of YPG.