Syria: Ras al-Ayn residents protest against Turkish operation

Demonstrators picketed the US International Coalition Base near the village of Tel Arqam in northern Syria on Sunday over fears of a Turkish offensive on Kurdish-controlled territory.

According to Press TV, protesters, predominantly from the Kurdish town of Ras al-Ayn, marched several miles to reach a base placed on the border with Turkey. Protesters presented a petition calling on US occupation forces forces to halt the rumored Turkish operation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said that his patience was running out over delays to a proposed buffer zone between US and Turkish forces in northern Syria.

On the march, protesters could be heard chanting: "Down with occupation" and "Say 'no' to Turkish occupation of Syrian lands."

In a brief interview, a demonstrator holding a flag with symbols of the Kurdistan Democratic Union Party (PYD), stated: "Turkish don't like us. They say that they are going to attack Rojava."

The planned operation aims to clear US-backed Kurdish forces from the region, groups which Turkey considers terrorists.

ME