Over 50 people killed as Turkey-Syria offensive continues

TIL Desk/World/Damascus/ More than 50 people, including civilians, have been killed as the Turkish offensive in Syria, which was launched by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan aimed at pushing the Kurdish forces away from its border, entered its third day on Friday.

The Kurdish Red Crescent said there had been 11 confirmed civilian deaths so far and 28 serious injuries, mostly in Ras al-Ain and another border town, Qamishli. Of the 11 victims, five people, including a Syrian baby, were reportedly killed in Kurdish shelling of Turkish border towns.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least 29 deaths among the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and 17 from the Syrian National Army, as more than 10 villages fell into Turkish hands.

Tens of thousands of people have fled homes in the area, as international calls to halt the offensive launched by Erdogan on Wednesday have increased. Turkey moved into northern Syria on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump pulled American troops out of the area.