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Turkey sends tanks into northern Syria IS conflict: Turkey-backed Syrian rebels 'take Jarablus'
(about 2 hours later)
Turkish tanks and other vehicles have rolled across the Syrian border after heavy shelling of an area held by so-called Islamic State (IS). Syrian rebels backed by the Turkish military say they have taken control of the town of Jarablus, which had been held by so-called Islamic State.
Military sources told Turkish media 70 targets in the Jarablus area had been destroyed by artillery and rocket strikes, and 12 by air strikes. The assault began at dawn when Turkish warplanes, tanks and special forces personnel crossed the nearby border.
Turkish-backed Syrian rebels who are following the advance say they have entered the town of Jarablus itself. Rebel commanders said most of the IS militants subsequently retreated.
The operation is aimed against both IS and Kurdish fighters. Turkey says its intervention is targeting both IS fighters and a Syrian Kurdish-led alliance that is attempting to advance on Jarablus.
Turkey shelled Syrian Kurdish forces in the region this week, determined not to let them fill the vacuum if IS leaves. US Vice-President Joe Biden warned members of the Syrian Democratic Forces - the most effective opponents of IS on the ground in Syria - that they had to return to the east of the River Euphrates if they wanted to continue receiving its help.
US Vice-President Joe Biden warned Kurdish forces in Syria they would lose US support if they advanced west of the River Euphrates. "We have made it absolutely clear... that they must go back across the river," he said. "They cannot, will not, and under no circumstances get American support if they do not keep that commitment."
"We have made it absolutely clear... that they must go back across the river," he said. "They cannot, will not and under no circumstances get American support if they do not keep that commitment. Period."
Making the highest-ranking visit to Ankara by a Western official since the failed Turkish coup on 15 July, Mr Biden also sought to dispel any doubts about America's solidarity with its Nato ally.Making the highest-ranking visit to Ankara by a Western official since the failed Turkish coup on 15 July, Mr Biden also sought to dispel any doubts about America's solidarity with its Nato ally.
Looking for a reset: Barbara Plett Usher, BBC state department correspondentLooking for a reset: Barbara Plett Usher, BBC state department correspondent
Joe Biden is in Turkey to try and reset relations strained by the fallout from last month's failed coup attempt. Turks felt they did not get a clear message of support from Washington so Mr Biden is doing everything he can to send one - including deliberate comparisons to the trauma Americans suffered after the 9/11 attacks.Joe Biden is in Turkey to try and reset relations strained by the fallout from last month's failed coup attempt. Turks felt they did not get a clear message of support from Washington so Mr Biden is doing everything he can to send one - including deliberate comparisons to the trauma Americans suffered after the 9/11 attacks.
The Turkish government is also upset by America's alliance with Kurds in northern Syria. It believes they are linked to Turkish Kurds who are battling Ankara. The US finds the Syrian Kurds an effective force against Islamic State militants but the Turks fear the alliance is helping them gain territory for an autonomous zone along the Turkish border.The Turkish government is also upset by America's alliance with Kurds in northern Syria. It believes they are linked to Turkish Kurds who are battling Ankara. The US finds the Syrian Kurds an effective force against Islamic State militants but the Turks fear the alliance is helping them gain territory for an autonomous zone along the Turkish border.
A US official travelling with Mr Biden admitted that some Kurdish fighters had pushed further north than they should have and said Turkey's offensive on IS in Jarablus was probably partly to create a buffer zone against any further Kurdish advance.A US official travelling with Mr Biden admitted that some Kurdish fighters had pushed further north than they should have and said Turkey's offensive on IS in Jarablus was probably partly to create a buffer zone against any further Kurdish advance.
But he said the US had "put a lid" on any more such moves, creating a breathing space for the Jarablus operation, which the US supports and to which it is ready to contribute.But he said the US had "put a lid" on any more such moves, creating a breathing space for the Jarablus operation, which the US supports and to which it is ready to contribute.
Slow progress President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced in a speech that the "operation against Daesh [IS] and PYD [Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party] terror groups" began at 04:00 (01:00 GMT) on Wednesday.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced in a speech in Ankara: "At 04:00 [01:00 GMT] our forces began an operation against the Daesh [IS] and PYD [Kurdish Democratic Union Party] terror groups." Operation Euphrates Shield was aimed at "putting an end" to problems on Turkey's border, he said.
Operation Euphrates Shield was aimed at "putting an end" to problems on the border, he said. Between nine and 12 tanks crossed the frontier, followed by pick-up trucks believed to be carrying hundreds of fighters from Turkish-backed factions of the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA).
Between nine and 12 tanks crossed the border, followed by pick-up trucks believed to be carrying Turkish-backed Syrian rebels from the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Within hours, several of the factions involved announced they had liberated Jarablus from IS fighters.
The FSA said progress was slow because of mines planted by IS fighters in the area. There were no immediate reports of fighting on the way in. However, an opposition media activist embedded with the rebels said they controlled about 90% of the town and were still fighting small pockets of militants.
Turkey has vowed to "completely cleanse" IS from its border region, blaming the group for a bomb attack on a wedding that killed at least 54 people in Gaziantep on Saturday. Ahmad al-Khatib posted photos he said showed rebels inside central Jarablus, standing next to buildings painted with the black jihadist banner used by the self-styled IS.
This is Turkey's first known ground incursion into Syria since a brief operation to relocate the tomb of Suleyman Shah, a revered Ottoman figure, in February of last year. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, confirmed that the rebels had almost fully taken Jarablus, noting that IS had now lost the last crossing on the Turkish border that it directly controlled.
The air strikes are Turkey's first inside Syria since the downing of a Russian jet in November. Moscow and Ankara only mended ties in June after punitive Russian sanctions. Turkey has vowed to "completely cleanse" IS from the border region, blaming it for a bomb attack on a wedding that killed 54 people in Gaziantep on Saturday.
This is Turkey's first known ground incursion into Syria since a brief operation to relocate the tomb of Suleyman Shah, a revered Ottoman figure, in February 2015.
The air strikes were Turkey's first inside Syria since the downing of a Russian jet in November.
'Buffer zone''Buffer zone'
An unnamed senior US official in Washington told BBC News before the start of the Turkish operation that it was "partly to create a buffer against the possibility of the Kurds moving forward". An unnamed senior US official in Washington told the BBC before the start of the Turkish operation that it was "partly to create a buffer against the possibility of the Kurds moving forward".
Fighters from the Syrian Kurd YPG militia - the military wing of the PYD - led the battle to drive IS out of the strategic crossroads town of Manbij this month. The SDF - which is dominated by the PYD's military wing, the Popular Protection Units (YPG) - drove IS militants out of the strategically important town of Manbij, 30km (20 miles) the south, this month.
Responding to news of the Turkish advance, PYD leader Saleh Moslem tweeted that Turkey was now in the "Syrian quagmire" and would be defeated like IS. Responding to news of the Jarablus offensive, PYD leader Saleh Moslem tweeted that Turkey was now in the "Syrian quagmire" and would be defeated like IS.
Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a Turkish-Kurdish rebel group fighting for autonomy since the 1980s, but the YPG is backed by the US as one of the most effective forces battling IS. Turkey views the PYD as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a Turkish Kurdish rebel group fighting for autonomy since the 1980s.
Earlier, President Erdogan said he would press Vice-President Biden for the extradition of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom he blames for the coup attempt. In a separate development on Wednesday, President Erdogan said he would press Vice-President Biden for the extradition of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom he blames for the recent coup attempt.
At a joint news conference with Turkish PM Binali Yildirim, Mr Biden said of Mr Gulen: "We have no interest whatsoever in protecting anyone who has done harm but we need to meet the minimum legal standard of our law." At a joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, Mr Biden said of Mr Gulen: "We have no interest whatsoever in protecting anyone who has done harm but we need to meet the minimum legal standard of our law."
Paying tribute to those Turks killed fighting the coup plotters, the US vice-president said: "The United States of America did not have any foreknowledge of what befell you on the 15th."