Syrian Kurds say they’ve withdrawn from Turkey border in accordance with cease-fire

A senior Syrian Kurdish official says his forces have finished withdrawing from a border area before the end of a US-brokered cease-fire.

But Redur Khalil says Turkish troops and allies are continuing military operations in northeastern Syria outside the withdrawal zone.

Khalil says today his forces have abided by the cease-fire that is set to expire in a few hours, pulling fighters out of a 120-kilometer (75-mile) stretch of land between the towns of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ayn. But he says Turkish attacks are continuing outside of that area, capturing 15 Kurdish villages outside of the town of Kobani, and continuing to advance.

Turkey had threatened to relaunch its offensive if the withdrawal was not carried out. Ankara has agreed to the specified zone but Turkish officials said they still want to clear Kurdish fighters from their entire shared border.

— AP