Russia is reinforcing its troops on the Syria-Turkey border

Russian forces increased their presence in its region today northern Syria which is under the control of Kurdish forces and the Syrian army, and is under threat from a Turkish ground operation, residents and a non-governmental organization said.

It is the first time that the Russian army, which supports the regime of Bashar al-Assad, has sent reinforcements to the Tal Rifaat region, on the border with Turkeyfrom where Ankara launched a campaign of airstrikes against Kurdish fighters on November 20.

Same time today German Foreign Minister Analena Burbock called on Turkey to refrain from a ground invasion of northern Syria and military incursions into northern Iraq.

“I have made an urgent appeal (to Turkey) to refrain from steps that would further escalate violence — such as a possible ground invasion of northern Syria or military action in northern Iraq,” Burbok said on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Bucharest, where she was and her Turkish counterpart.

THE Moscowan ally of the Syrian regime, and Washington, which backs Syria’s Kurds, both called on Ankara to show “restraint”.

Residents of Tal Rifaat told AFP that Russian reinforcements had arrived in the town, which is 15 km from the Turkish border.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the ground operation that Turkey is threatening to launch “when the time is right” will primarily target Tal Rifaat, as well as the locations of Manbij and Kobani, in order to create a 30km-wide security zone south of its border.

Tal Rifaat is located in an enclave controlled by Kurdish forces and surrounded by areas controlled by the Turkish military on one side and pro-Turkish organizations on the other.

According to the same residents, Moscow forces built a new barrier between the zone controlled by the Kurds and the one controlled by pro-Turkish forces.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a large network of sources on the ground, said for its part that Russian forces had also established a presence at the Syrian regime-controlled Menagh military airport near Tal Rifaat.

The Observatory also spoke of Russian reinforcements on the outskirts of the Kurdish border town of Kobani. A security official told AFP that Russian forces had deployed a patrol there, under surveillance by a helicopter.

“The aim of these reinforcements could be to hinder or delay the Turkish military operation,” Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

Germany calls on Ankara to refrain from a ground invasion of northern Syria

Syrian Kurdish forces announced on Tuesday that they had asked Russia to pressure Turkey to prevent it from launching a ground offensive.

Moscow, an ally of the Syrian regime, and Washington, which backs the Syrian Kurds, have both called on Ankara to show “restraint”.

And Berlin today called on Ankara to refrain from invading northern Syria.

Turkey’s shelling of a Kurdish militia across the border in Syria comes after months of threats by Turkish President Erdogan for a new ground invasion against Kurdish forces he considers terrorist.

“International law naturally applies when it comes to protecting against acts of terrorism,” Burbock said.

Syria considers Turkey an occupying power in its north and Damascus has said it would consider any new Turkish incursion a “war crime”.

Turkey launched its raids after the Nov. 13 attack in Istanbul that killed six, blaming the Kurds, which they have denied.

Since November 20, nearly 75 people have died in Turkish strikes, mostly Kurdish fighters, as well as ten civilians and Syrian soldiers, according to the Observatory.

RES-EMP

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