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
50,000 perform Ramadan Taraweeh prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque
- Worshippers gather amid heightened tensions in occupied West Bank
- Hundreds of Jerusalemites ordered not to enter mosque during holy month
LONDON: About 50,000 Palestinian worshippers performed the Isha and Ramadan Taraweeh prayers on Sunday evening at Al-Aqsa Mosque in the walled city of occupied East Jerusalem.
The crowds gathered despite Israeli military checkpoints and strict identity checks at the mosque’s gates, according to the Jerusalem Governorate.
Palestinians are observing the Muslim holy month, which began on Wednesday, amid heightened tensions in the occupied West Bank, including attacks by settlers and raids and arrests by the Israeli army.
More than 300 Jerusalemites recently received Israeli orders prohibiting their entry to Al-Aqsa during Ramadan, the Wafa news agency reported.
Israeli forces have increased their military presence in Jerusalem and restricted access to the mosque for children under 12, men over 55 and women over 50.
Since Wednesday, thousands of Palestinians have lined up to pass through military checkpoints, including at Qalandiya and Bethlehem, in the hope of attending prayers at Al-Aqsa.
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