Turkey Establishes New Base, Shells Syria’s Ain Issa Countryside

A Turkish soldier is seen in an armored personnel carrier (APC) at a check point near the Turkish-Syrian border in Kilis province, Turkey, January 29, 2018. (Reuters)
A Turkish soldier is seen in an armored personnel carrier (APC) at a check point near the Turkish-Syrian border in Kilis province, Turkey, January 29, 2018. (Reuters)
TT
20

Turkey Establishes New Base, Shells Syria’s Ain Issa Countryside

A Turkish soldier is seen in an armored personnel carrier (APC) at a check point near the Turkish-Syrian border in Kilis province, Turkey, January 29, 2018. (Reuters)
A Turkish soldier is seen in an armored personnel carrier (APC) at a check point near the Turkish-Syrian border in Kilis province, Turkey, January 29, 2018. (Reuters)

Turkish forces established a new military base near the Syrian town of Ain Issa in the northern Raqqa countryside, which under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Turkey also installed a number of outposts on the Aleppo-Latakia international highway (M4) and began setting a military post in al-Ghab Plain, in Hama’s western countryside, which constantly comes under attack by the regime.

It reinforced its forces at the military observation points in the northwestern Idlib province.

Meanwhile, Turkish forces and the so-called Syrian National Army factions shelled on Monday a number of positions in the Ain Issa countryside, targeting the village of Muallaq and the Khalidiyah camp.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported violent clashes between the Turkish-backed factions and SDF in western parts of Ain Issa. The factions are trying to advance in Hoshan and Khalidiyah, amid intense Turkish shelling on the M4 highway.

Elsewhere, pro-Turkish factions clashed with Manbij Military Council forces, which are affiliated with the SDF, in the western countryside of Manbij.

Russian forces had reopened the M4 for civilian and commercial use on Sunday after about a month of closure following Turkish military operations in Ain Issa.

Furthermore, Turkish forces carried out a reconnaissance operation in al-Ghab Plain where they are seeking to establish a military post in Qastoun.

Last month, the Turkish forces evacuated five out of its 12 main observation points in the de-escalation zone in northwestern Syria. They also withdrew from three main checkpoints, after being besieged by the regime forces, in agreement with Russia.

The Turkish forces withdrew from four newly established points in Idlib’s eastern countryside and the Aleppo countryside.

Several new Turkish checkpoints are still blockaded within the areas of the Syrian regime in Saraqib and Aleppo countryside near Kafr Aleppo.

The Turkish forces had established 69 observation points in the de-escalation zone. Ankara is redeploying the troops that were withdrawn from the areas besieged by the regime, while continuing to push reinforcements to the observation points in southern Idlib.

A new military convoy of 25 vehicles entered through the Kafr Lusin border crossing heading towards the Turkish positions in Jabal al-Zawiya.



Sudan's Military Accepts UN Proposal of a Weeklong Ceasefire in El Fasher for Aid Distribution

The wreckage of cars lie on the remains of the Shambat Bridge, which connects Omdurman and Bahri, on June 24, 2025 in the Sudanese capital region. (AFP)
The wreckage of cars lie on the remains of the Shambat Bridge, which connects Omdurman and Bahri, on June 24, 2025 in the Sudanese capital region. (AFP)
TT
20

Sudan's Military Accepts UN Proposal of a Weeklong Ceasefire in El Fasher for Aid Distribution

The wreckage of cars lie on the remains of the Shambat Bridge, which connects Omdurman and Bahri, on June 24, 2025 in the Sudanese capital region. (AFP)
The wreckage of cars lie on the remains of the Shambat Bridge, which connects Omdurman and Bahri, on June 24, 2025 in the Sudanese capital region. (AFP)

Sudan's military agreed to a proposal from the United Nations for a weeklong ceasefire in El Fasher to facilitate UN aid efforts to the area, the army said Friday.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called Sudanese military leader Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and asked him for the humanitarian truce in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, to allow aid delivery.

Burhan agreed to the proposal and stressed the importance of implementing relevant UN Security Council resolutions, but it’s unknown whether the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces would agree and comply with the ceasefire.

“We are making contacts with both sides with that objective, and that was the fundamental reason for that phone contact. We have a dramatic situation in El Fasher,” Guterres told reporters on Friday.

No further details were revealed about the specifics of the ceasefire, including when it could go into effect.

Sudan plunged into war in April 2023 when simmering tensions between the Sudanese army and the rival RSF escalated into battles in the capital, Khartoum, and spread across the country, killing more than 20,000 people.

The war has also driven more than 14 million people from their homes and pushed parts of the country into famine. UNICEF said earlier this year that an estimated 61,800 children have been internally displaced since the war began.

Guterres said on Friday that a humanitarian truce is needed for effective aid distribution, and it must be agreed upon several days in advance to prepare for a large-scale delivery in the El Fasher area, which has seen repeated waves of violence recently.

El Fasher, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) southwest of Khartoum, is under the control of the military. The RSF has been trying to capture El Fasher for a year to solidify its control over the entire Darfur region. The paramilitary’s attempts included launching repeated attacks on the city and two major famine-stricken displacement camps on its outskirts.