SDF Denies ISIS Presence in Afrin, Acknowledges Foreign Fighters in its Ranks

Plumes of smoke rise on the air from inside Syria, as seen from the outskirts of the border town of Kilis, Turkey on January 20, 2018. (AP)
Plumes of smoke rise on the air from inside Syria, as seen from the outskirts of the border town of Kilis, Turkey on January 20, 2018. (AP)
TT
20

SDF Denies ISIS Presence in Afrin, Acknowledges Foreign Fighters in its Ranks

Plumes of smoke rise on the air from inside Syria, as seen from the outskirts of the border town of Kilis, Turkey on January 20, 2018. (AP)
Plumes of smoke rise on the air from inside Syria, as seen from the outskirts of the border town of Kilis, Turkey on January 20, 2018. (AP)

The Syrian Democratic Forces denied on Wednesday Turkish military claims that the ISIS terrorist group was present in the Afrin region in northern Syria where it has been waging a military offensive against Kurdish factions.

“The whole world knows ISIS is not present in Afrin,” Redur Xelil, a senior SDF official, told Reuters.

He said the Turkish military had greatly exaggerated SDF casualties, though he declined to say how many had been killed.

The Turkish army had announced on Tuesday that at least 260 People’s Protection Units and ISIS members had died in the offensive that it launched last week.

Xelil said that the SDF had killed dozens of Turkish soldiers and their allies in the Free Syrian Army. He declined however from giving an exact figure.

In addition, he revealed that foreign fighters, including Americans, Britons and Germans, were fighting with the Kurdish factions against the Turkish offensive.

Meanwhile, a US official expected President Donald Trump to contact his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday to express his concern about Ankara’s Afrin operation.



Fuel Shortages in Gaza at 'Critical Levels', UN Warns

 A Palestinian burns plastic waste to produce alternative fuel amid scarcity as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues, in northern Gaza Strip, September 5, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
A Palestinian burns plastic waste to produce alternative fuel amid scarcity as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues, in northern Gaza Strip, September 5, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
TT
20

Fuel Shortages in Gaza at 'Critical Levels', UN Warns

 A Palestinian burns plastic waste to produce alternative fuel amid scarcity as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues, in northern Gaza Strip, September 5, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
A Palestinian burns plastic waste to produce alternative fuel amid scarcity as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues, in northern Gaza Strip, September 5, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

The United Nations warned Saturday that dire fuel shortages in the Gaza Strip had reached "critical levels", threatening to dramatically increase the suffering in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

"After almost two years of war, people in Gaza are facing extreme hardships, including widespread food insecurity, seven UN agencies cautioned in a joint statement.

"When fuel runs out, it places an unbearable new burden on a population teetering on the edge of starvation," the statement added.