Turkish forces send reinforcements to northern Syria
TEL ABYAD, Syria (North Press) – On Thursday, Turkish forces deployed military reinforcements into Syrian territory through the Tal Abyad border crossing towards the areas of Ain Issa and Khifyah Salim in northern Raqqa, northern Syria.
An employee at the crossing told North Press that “around 14 Turkish military vehicles accompanied by trucks carrying prefabricated rooms, concrete blocks, and three field artilleries, entered the Tal Abyad crossing this afternoon.”
He added that the reinforcements were directed towards two areas: the first being the Shirkrak silos east of the town of Ain Issa, and the second towards the village of Khifyah Salim west of the city of Tel Abyad in northern Raqqa.
The source mentioned that the reinforcements were accompanied by protection from the Turkey-backed Military Police of the Syrian National Army (SNA). These reinforcements are part of a series of Turkish military activities that have taken place recently in the Turkish-occupied areas of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) and Tel Abyad.
In October 2019, Turkish forces, along with their affiliated SNA factions, launched a military operation dubbed ‘Peace Spring’ after which they occupied the northern Syrian cities of Tel Abyad and Sere Kaniye and their surroundings. The incursion caused the displacement of 300,000 of the region’s original inhabitants.
The source further indicated that this is the fourth batch of reinforcements during the current month, amid reports about suggesting receiving more batches in the coming weeks without knowing the true objective behind these movements.