Kurdish authorities in Syria’s northern Afrin enclave have called on Syrian troops to defend the region’s border, as a Turkish offensive continues there.
They said the “aim of this (Turkish) aggression is to cut more Syrian land by occupying Afrin”.
Turkish-led forces began their assault in north-western Syria on Saturday.
Ankara regards Kurdish YPG fighters in Afrin as terrorists, and says they are linked to Kurdish PKK guerrillas who operate in Turkey itself.
Forty-eight Turkish-backed rebels and 42 YPG fighters have been killed in the fighting since Saturday, says the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group.
Thousands flee Turkish assault on Afrin
Who are the Kurds?
In a separate development, Germany put plans on hold to upgrade German-made tanks used by Turkey amid a public outcry over the Turkish offensive.
