ANKARA: President Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks about Turkey’s military and its rebel allies capturing northern Syria’s Afrin town refer to the completion of the town’s encirclement by Wednesday evening, not its fall, a source in Erdogan’s office said.
In speech, Erdogan had said he hoped Turkish forces would completely capture the town of Afrin by Wednesday evening.
“The ‘I hope Afrin will completely fall by tonight’ sentence in our president’s speech should be understood as ‘The circle of encirclement will be completed by tonight’,” the source said.
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Erdogan says encirclement of Afrin to be completed Wednesday evening, not capture -source
Erdogan says encirclement of Afrin to be completed Wednesday evening, not capture -source
Germany moves troops out of Iraq, citing Mideast ‘tensions’
BERLIN: Germany’s military has “temporarily” moved some troops out of Irbil in northern Iraq because of “escalating tensions in the Middle East,” a German defense ministry spokesman told AFP on Thursday.
Dozens of German soldiers had been relocated away from the base in Irbil, capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
“Only the personnel necessary to maintain the operational capability of the camp in Irbil remain on site,” the spokesman said.
The spokesman did not specify the source of the tensions, but US President Donald Trump has ordered a major build-up of US warships, aircraft and other weaponry in the region and threatened action against Iran.
German troops are deployed to Irbil as part of an international mission to train local Iraqi forces.
The spokesman said the German redeployment away from Irbil was “closely coordinated with our multinational partners.”
Dozens of German soldiers had been relocated away from the base in Irbil, capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
“Only the personnel necessary to maintain the operational capability of the camp in Irbil remain on site,” the spokesman said.
The spokesman did not specify the source of the tensions, but US President Donald Trump has ordered a major build-up of US warships, aircraft and other weaponry in the region and threatened action against Iran.
German troops are deployed to Irbil as part of an international mission to train local Iraqi forces.
The spokesman said the German redeployment away from Irbil was “closely coordinated with our multinational partners.”
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