France to Ensure Safety of Its Military, Civilian Personnel in Northern Syria In ‘Coming Hours’

On Saturday, France suspended arms sales to Turkey over Ankara’s ongoing military incursion into the northern part of Syria, which was earlier condemned by the country’s president, Emmanuel Macron.

French President Emmanuel Macron was set to hold an emergency defence cabinet meeting on Sunday, the main purpose of which was to discuss possible options regarding the Turkish offensive, according to Reuters.

Paris will take measures “in coming hours” to ensure the safety of its military and civilian personnel in northern Syria, Reuters reported, citing a statement from the French president’s office, issued following the emergency defence cabinet meeting.

According to the statement, France condemned “in the strongest terms” the Turkish “Operation Peace Spring” in northern Syria, launched on 9 October by Turkish President Recep Erdogan. 

The air component of the operation has begun the same day in the Ras al-Ain town of Al Hasakah province, while the land operations have been launched shortly after. The Turkish offensive is part of Ankara’s long-standing goal to clear its Syria-facing border area of the Daesh* terrorists and the Kurdish militia from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), whom Ankara designates as a single terrorist organization.