UN Security Council to hold urgent talks on Turkey/Syria: diplomats

UN Security Council to hold urgent talks on Turkey/Syria: diplomats

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting to discuss Turkey’s military offensive against Kurdish forces in northern Syria, diplomats said Wednesday. The closed-door meeting, set for Thursday morning, was requested by Belgium, France, Germany, Britain and Poland, they said.

Earlier, the president of the Security Council, South African Ambassador Jerry Matthews Matjila, called on Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to exercise “maximum restraint” and “protect civilians.”

Airstrikes and artillery fire were heard along the border shortly after Erdogan announced the start of the assault, dubbing it “Operation Peace Spring.” Earlier in the week, US President Donald Trump pulled US troops out of the area, effectively giving Erodgan a green light to move against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

The SDF has been a crucial ally in the US campaign against Islamic State militants in Syria, but NATO member Turkey regards the Kurds as a foe. AFP