Britain says it’s suspending military exports to Turkey following the latter’s incursion into northeastern Syria, as it carries out a review of arms sales to its NATO ally.
“We will keep our defense exports to Turkey under very careful and continual review,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says in a statement to parliament.
“No further export licences to Turkey for items which might be used in military operations in Syria will be granted while we conduct that review.”
Ankara’s assault against Kurdish forces launched last week has prompted a chorus of international condemnation. Raab says it has “seriously undermined the security and stability of the region.”
This picture taken on October 14, 2019 shows smoke rises from the Syrian town of Ras al-Ain, from the Turkish side of the border at Ceylanpinar district in Sanliurfa, on the sixth day of Turkey’s military operation against Kurdish forces. (Ozan KOSE / AFP)
“This is not the action we expected from an ally, it is reckless, counterproductive, it plays straight into the hands of Russia and the Assad regime,” he tells lawmakers.
Britain’s arms sales suspension follows similar moves by key European and NATO allies, including Germany — one of Turkey’s main arms suppliers — and France.
— AFP
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
