This archive report was first published on 18 October 2019.
On October 9, Turkey launched a military offensive in northeastern Syria, with Ras al-Ain being a major target. However, the town's Kurdish defenders have put up fierce resistance, leading to ongoing clashes.
According to Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, both the Turkish military and its Syrian allies are involved in the fighting with the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
"There are sporadic artillery strikes and you can hear shooting in the town of Ras al-Ain," Abdul Rahman said.
Despite the ongoing clashes, Turkey announced a 120-hour suspension of its offensive late Thursday. The suspension is part of a deal reached after US Vice President Mike Pence flew to Ankara, which requires Kurdish forces to withdraw from a border strip 32 kilometres deep.
Under the deal, the border strip will become the "safe zone" long sought by Turkey. The SDF has stated that they are "ready to abide by the ceasefire" in the border strip between Ras al-Ain and Tal Abyad.
