Turkey vs. Russia in the Mideast (III)

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10. Rebel commander: Turkish artillery strikes ‘have not and will not’ stop SDF advance to Azaz

AMMAN: The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are gaining ground in their advance toward the border city of Azaz despite Turkish shelling on their positions, a commander with the SDF told Syria Direct on Monday.

“The Turkish strikes have not and will not affect us, and the proof is that we're still advancing,” Jaish al-Thuwwar spokesman Tareq Abu Zeid told Syria Direct Monday. Jaish al-Thuwwar is a member of the SDF coalition.

The SDF captured two villages from rebels over the past two days in the belt of opposition territory stretching 25km from Nubl and Zahraa north to Azaz, 6km from the Turkish border, backed by heavy Russian airstrikes. They are moving northeast up the stretch of territory and aim to take Azaz, which Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said his country would not allow to fall into Kurdish hands, reported state-owned Anadolu Monday.

“The world has to realize that Turkey will not allow Azaz to fall,” Davutoğlu was quoted by Anadolu as saying on Monday.

http://syriadirect.org/news/rebel-commander-turkish-artillery-strikes-not-enough-to-stop-sdf-advance/