Rebels cross into Turkey to join fight against Kurds

Описание: (17 Oct 2019) LEAD IN:
Turkey-backed Syrian rebels crossed into Turkey on Wednesday to join the fight against Kurdish militia.
The move comes as a senior US delegation faces the difficult task of pressuring Turkey to accept a ceasefire in northern Syria.

STORY-LINE:
A convoy of Syrian rebels arrives at the Azaaz border crossing.
With Ankara's support they will be entering Turkey, to be moved then to the Syrian border town of Ras al-Ayn.
There, they will join the Turkish battle against Kurdish forces.
It is easier to cross and re-cross borders like this to get to their final destination. There is no direct route they can take within Syria because between their area in northern Aleppo and Ras al-Ayn is territory controlled by the Kurdish-led SDF.
Other than its own soldiers, Turkey is relying on Syrian rebel groups, to press into the Kurdish-controlled part of the country
These militias, remnants of the uprising against the Damascus government and many of them Islamists, have in the past clashed with the Kurds, including during Turkey's takeover of Afrin, a former Kurdish stronghold in northwestern Syria, in 2018.
This particular unit is known as the Mu'tasim Brigade, which in the past received US training and weaponry in an earlier effort to strengthen rebel groups fighting the Syrian government.
Heavy clashes continued in Ras al-Ayn on Wednesday between Turkish forces and Syrian rebels on one hand and Kurdish fighters on the other as Turkey tried to press its advantage.

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