Risk of Syrian Clash With Turkey Rises as Forces Enter Afrin
- Forces loyal to Syrian regime deploy in Afrin to help Kurds
- Turkish lira drops as much as 1.3 percent against U.S. dollar
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Syrian pro-government fighters entered the border town of Afrin to help Kurdish forces battle a Turkish incursion, state-run media reported, raising the risk of a direct conflict between the two countries.
With Syrian flags plastered on their armored vehicles, the paramilitary forces set out for Afrin to “defend our people against the Turkish aggression,” state-run Syrian television reported. Turkish troops entered Syria on Jan. 20 to expel Kurdish YPG fighters from the border area, viewing them as an extension of the Kurdish PKK separatist group that Turkey has fought for decades.