About 785 women associated with the Islamic State and their children escaped from the camp guarded by Syrian Kurdish forces in the north of the country, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced today, reports Tanjug.
The director of the organization, Rami Abdulrahman, said, citing sources from the Ain Isa camp, that anarchy reigns there, reports Reuters.
A Syrian Democratic Forces official said the Kurdish-led forces do not have enough guards at the Ain Isa camp to prevent the escape of family members of Islamic State fighters there.
"The guarding of the camp was already weakened because the forces had to be sent to the front, and they were further exhausted when shells fired by Turkish forces fell nearby, causing the remaining personnel to flee," said Syrian Democratic Forces spokesman Marwan Kamishlo.
He added that there are 60-70 guards left in the camp, and that under normal circumstances there are no less than 700 of them.
"There are about 12.000 displaced persons in the camp, among them family members of Islamic State militants. "It would be ideal if there were 1.500 guards in the camp," Kamislo said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called this disinformation and said that these reports are false, and that their goal is to provoke the United States of America (USA) and other Western countries, Reuters reported, referring to the Anadolu Agency.
On Wednesday, Turkey launched a military offensive against Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria that it considers terrorists.
Kurdish forces with the support of the US fought against the jihadists of the Islamic State.
France worried
France expresses concern after the escape of family members of Islamic State jihadists from a camp held by Kurds in northeastern Syria, the French government announced today, calling on Turkey to stop its offensive in that part of Syria as soon as possible.
"Of course we are worried about what could happen there and that's why we want Turkey to end the offensive that we condemn as soon as possible," said government spokeswoman Sibet Ndiaj.
Erdogan: The Turkish army and allies will enter 30 to 35 kilometers into the territory of Syria
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today that the Turkish army and its allies from among the Syrian rebels will enter 30 to 35 kilometers deep into the territory of Syria in their offensive against the Kurdish militia.
He also said that Turkish forces have already taken control of the city of Ras al-Ain, as well as that they have captured the Syrian border town of Tel Abyad, reports Reuters.
The Turkish president also said at the press conference that two Turkish soldiers and 16 Syrian rebels have been lost in this operation so far.
Observatory: 104 Kurdish-led fighters killed
The number of dead members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces since the start of the Turkish offensive in northern Syria has risen to 104, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced today.
Kurdish-led forces said 45 of their fighters were killed, Reuters reports.
The Syrian Kurdish forces were the main US allies in the fight against the Islamic State in northern Syria, but Washington recently decided to withdraw its forces from the area.
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