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Turkey on a collision course with Syria over Kurdish support in Afrin

Syria is sending forces to come to the aid of a Kurdish militia after Turkey and its allies made gains against them.

A Turkish soldier waves a flag on Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria January 28, 2018
Image: Turkey's so-called 'operation olive branch' has targeted Afrin
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Turkish forces are on a collision course with troops loyal to Syria鈥檚 government in the northern enclave of Afrin.

Syria is sending in forces to come to the aid of a Kurdish militia known as the YPG, after Turkey and its Free Syrian Army allies made unexpected gains there.

"Popular forces will arrive in Afrin within a few hours to support its people's stand against the Turkish regime's attack on the area and its people," said Syrian state news agency Sana.

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Turkish flags in Syria amid military operation

Turkey regards the Kurdish fighters as terrorists.

It has fought a long-running war against Kurdish separatists on both sides of its border with Syria. Syria is concerned about losing territory to the Turkish invasion.

There is now the realistic prospect of open warfare between the Syrian army and Turkish forces.

Turkey is a member of NATO, but its NATO partner America has long supported the YPG, recognising them as among the best fighters in Syrian in the war on Islamic State. A hugely complicated civil war is taking yet another twist.

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Smoke is seen billowing from the northern Syrian Kurdish town of Afrin on January 31, 2018. Turkey and allied Syrian rebel groups launched operation Olive Branch on January 20 against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which controls the Afrin region
Image: The northern enclave could become a site of open warfare

Turkey has prosecuted its invasion of northern Syria in the face of mounting internal criticism and opposition and has reacted with the tactics of a banana republic dictatorship, not those of a NATO member.

It has locked up hundreds of citizens for criticising the offensive, some of them simply for expressing concern about its humanitarian impact on social media.

The new faultline is not the only one apparently opening up in the Syrian conflict. More detail is emerging of a US attack on Russians in the east of the country that appears to have killed many.

Reuters news agency quotes multiple sources claiming at least a hundred Russians died when they came under attack while fighting alongside Syrian government forces in Deir Ezzor. Another two hundred may have been injured.

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On the frontline in Turkey's controversial attack on US-backed Kurds

The claims were made on the basis of testimony from doctors working in military hospitals in Moscow, where the injured were airlifted on military aircraft.

Officially, Russia says only five people were killed and continues to deny its military is fighting on the ground in Syria. Its government has a history of obscuring the identity of military personnel, most notably in Crimea.

However, it is thought the Russians were not soldiers but ex-soldiers working for a military contractor, called Wagner.

Its ties with Moscow and whether it was operating under the direct command of the Kremlin are the matter of considerable debate.