Turkey launches offensive on northeastern Syria

Photo taken on Oct. 9, 2019 shows the northern Syrian city of Ras al-Ain which is under Turkish military attack, as seen from the southern Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar. Turkish airstrikes and howitzers have hit 181 targets in northern Syria as part of Operation Peace Spring, said Turkish Defense Ministry on Thursday. Turkish troops have entered 7 km deep into the border town of Tal Abyad in Syria, but the move is slower in the city of Ras al-Ain because of intense fire from the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG). The Turkish troops have yet to engage in direct confrontation with the YPG fighters, sources told Xinhua.