a bloodbath on the horizon: 181 Turkish airstrikes so far

Turkish bombardment continues prior to a Turkish ground advance over the border.
At least 16 Kurdish fighters have been killed by Turkish forces. #Turkey has already conducted 181 airstrikes in the area. Civilian casualties are unknown. These attacks and the death toll are on the President’s hands. #Syria https://t.co/vrGp4cFy1i
— Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) October 10, 2019
'Betrayal leaves a bitter taste': spurned Kurds flee Turkish onslaught https://t.co/idQxTTbYYC
— The Guardian (@guardian) October 10, 2019
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has threatened to “open the gates” for Syrian refugees in his country to migrate to Europe if the continent’s leaders label Turkey’s military campaign in north-eastern Syria an “occupation”. Erdoğan warned EU states he would “open the gates and send 3.6 million refugees your way” during a combative speech at a meeting of lawmakers from his Justice and Development party. He rebuked critics of the operation in Saudi Arabia and Egypt and said Isis fighters who were captured would be imprisoned in Turkey if their home countries refused to claim them. As he spoke, Turkish soldiers and their allies were clashing with the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces in border towns during the second day of an offensive that has caused tens of thousands of civilians to flee their homes. “Betrayal leaves the bitterest taste,” one Kurdish man waiting at a roadside depot told the Guardian correspondent Martin Chulov of the US decision to abandon the country’s Kurds. “I am 63 years old and I have never seen anything like this. Before there was regime oppression and now we are getting betrayal. This is worse.”
NEW: Our map of territorial control across #Syria is now updated through Q3 2019.
The regime made gains in Hama and Idleb, while #IS attacks on #QSD forces rose in Al Hasakeh.
Take stock of the situation just before the onset of #OperationPeaceSpring: https://t.co/OSvnArW6Or pic.twitter.com/QNVorTD3oi
— Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (@ACLEDINFO) October 10, 2019
Erdogan has said he planned to repatriate into this area up to 2 million of the 3.2 million Syrian refugees in Turkey, which analysts have said would remake the area’s demographics, turning a majority Kurdish area to a mostly Arab one. || https://t.co/vCNa9PW2jS
— The Arab Weekly (@ArabWeekly) October 10, 2019
Which one is it, @LindseyGrahamSC?https://t.co/72p3oNmVqM
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) October 10, 2019
Important context: The article notes that the phone calls were from August and the "pranksters" have suspected ties to Russian intelligence services.
Graham tweeted about "sanctions from hell" during a very different foreign policy terrain, before he criticized Trump.
— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) October 10, 2019
Important context: The article notes that the phone calls were from August and the "pranksters" have suspected ties to Russian intelligence services.
Graham tweeted about "sanctions from hell" during a very different foreign policy terrain, before he criticized Trump.
— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) October 10, 2019
Americans deserve to know whether Turkey is using American made & sold F-16s or other lethal weapons to slaughter our Kurdish partners. If so, the President’s betrayal is even worse. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I am demanding answers from the Pentagon.
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) October 10, 2019
Americans deserve to know whether Turkey is using American made & sold F-16s or other lethal weapons to slaughter our Kurdish partners. If so, the President’s betrayal is even worse. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I am demanding answers from the Pentagon.
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) October 10, 2019
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1182387198164946944?
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1182387198164946944?