Turkey deploys military equipment to Syrian border

Turkey's heavy military equipment is being deployed to the border with Syria.

Convoys with tanks, howitzers and armored vehicles set off from the republic’s western provinces toward the border, Anadolu Agency reported.

On December 19, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the Turkish Armed Forces ended the preparations for a possible operation in Syria. However, following the decision to start the withdrawal of US forces from Syria declared by US President Donald Trump on December 19, Ankara said that Washington’s move postponed the operation.

Before that, Turkey already held two military operations on Syrian territory: Operation Euphrates Shield and Operation Olive Branch, as a result of which a buffer zone of security was created between the bordering cities of Azaz and Jarabulus and the Afrin region, which is populated by Kurds, was occupied.