backed forces against a so-called islamic state but the turkish government views the y.p. ji as a terrorist group. the shattered turn of yielded evidence of the force that turkey has brought to be enough turkey's government is determined to press on with operation all of branch which to them has been a success so far it's because. the operation will continue until the threat is removed. but the kurdish why p.g. wants the world to know that they would surrender the enclave without a fight. we will resist and will not allow the enemy to invade our land to the last drop of blood we have we will never retreat from here. those appear to be no idle words missiles fired from y p.g. controlled territory crashed into this mosque in the turkish border tone of killis causing fatalities and panic as worshippers tried to free the wounded from the rubble. the death toll rises on both sides but turkish president richard one says he will expand the offensive eastwards. u.s. troops stationed in northern syria might soon find themselves caught between kurds and turks each ally determined to ba

with syria it's part of a military operation threatened against syrian kurdish fighters known as the y.p. ji are based in the town about fleeing the army has intensified shelling unafraid in recent days and says a ground assault could happen soon. the lebanese army has found the bodies of nine syrian refugees who froze to death trying to cross the border into lebanon they died during a snowstorm soldiers are looking for others caught in the storm and arrested two syrians on smuggling charges. pope francis has met peru's president pedre public as he wraps up his south america tour earlier he called for the protection of indigenous people while visiting the heart of peru's amazon forest the pope condemned the exploitation of timber gas and gold in the area he said no to peruvians have never been more threatened and urged the government to recognize their culture those are the headlines the news continues here on al-jazeera after one of many of them so watching. america's controversial president continues to polarize opinions donald trump do solemnly swear talking one year since he was sworn in

would be working there and they are allied with the y.p. ji who is in turn allied with the p.k. k. who turkey considers to be a terrorist organization so through all that that's where turkey is the real issue is coming to a head and after they announce these border forces air to one was infuriated and like in the attempt to the u.s. creating a terror army on turkey's border now after that reaction from air to want us to try and backtrack a little bit with tillerson saying that the announcement was misconstrued of course not a terror army on turkey's border but that really didn't seem to appease anyone and that's where we are why we are here today obviously over the last year or so territory has been an international battleground but again it is sovereign territory this is a sensitive area what's the international reaction been to these offensive well everyone has been threatening this operation for about a week now but everyone does still seem pretty. offguard that he's actually gone through with it we heard about it yesterday from some of the actual army saying that they were taki

drove the fighters across the border into syria they will be part of a ground offensive against the y.p. ji the kurdish group turkey considers to be a terrorist organization it is also however the group the americans consider their best ally in fighting eisel the international dimensions are vast russia and now wants to pulled out a few hundred military personnel that had enough money in shortly after the campaign started and russia controls this air space meaning turkey could not be flying their planes without russia's consent turkey says it is only targeting what it calls terrorists but there are already reports coming out of africa in that civilians have been affected it seems syria seven year war is entering yet another phase stephanie decker al-jazeera on the turkey syria border. let's bring in our panel joining us from istanbul sinan ogun chairman of the center for economic and foreign policy studies in london going to a visiting fellow of the european council for the relations and in washington d.c. which had why its director of the center for political military analysis at the hudso

forces the y.p. ji. and. yeah this this could get very very ugly and it could go on for a very long time. i think we have to hope the seems to be some kind of understanding between russia and syria and turkey it seems that the one has at least some kind of approval from russia and the syrian government to be doing what he's doing. and. while turkey certainly has. a real desire to. you know to not have a kurdish independent enclave on its borders there there is a no secondary objective i think here which is to get the u.s. out of syria. i imagine that the syrian government perhaps the russians too are hoping that if the kurds find that the u.s. is not willing to defend them. that they will then work work something out with the syrian government to to have you know internal autonomy. maybe restore the borders to the syrian government and the syrian military in effect restoring the sovereignty of a large part of syria while giving the kurds. you know an autonomous region which is you know which they want. no acc

with syria as part of a military operation threatened against syrian kurdish fighters known as the y.p. ji who are based in the town of the three in the army says a ground assault could happen soon. the lebanese army has found the bodies of nine syrian refugees they froze to death in a snowstorm trying to cross the border into lebanon soldiers are looking for others caught in the visit at arrested two syrians on smuggling charges and u.s. vice president mike pence is on his way to the middle east for a three day trip to discuss moving the american embassy in israel from tel aviv to jerusalem the u.s. decision to recognize jerusalem as israel's capital has provoked widespread international opposition well those were the headlines let's get you back now to witness statement that's what i thought. we were to. get at this because first of all the dish for. one called stuff. you used. to do live and you do too. and you see but in the book this wasn't someone putting this particular you just didn't. do it for ignore the new york timmy's put a reason for them. to get. that professor. that yes the

days of threats by president raging tayyip erdogan against the syrian kurdish fighters know as the y.p. ji fears the establishment of a kurdish corridor along its order. the u.s. says it will withhold another payment to the un's relief agency for palestinian refugees forty five million dollars was promised last month for food aid on tuesday washington mansour was going to withhold more than half of one hundred twenty five million dollars aid package. the lebanese army says it's found the bodies of nine syrian refugees who phones to death trying to cross the border into lebanon they were discovered after a snowstorm near the mountainous area of the must no border crossing six of those were saved but one later died in hospital hundreds of thousands of children inside sudan may die emergency action isn't taken to boost food security that's according to the new executive director of the un's children's agency unicef is visiting the country millions have been displaced by years of fighting pope francis has improved ways to to meet communities affected by illegal gold mining leader of the cathol

drove the fighters across the border into syria they will be part of a ground offensive against the y.p. ji the kurdish group turkey considers to be a terrorist organization it is also however the group the americans consider their best ally in fighting eisel the international dimensions are vast russia and now wants to pulled out a few hundred military personnel that had enough money in shortly after the campaign started and russia controls this airspace meaning turkey could not be flying their planes without russia's consent turkey says it is only targeting what it calls terrorists but there are already reports coming out of africa in that civilians have been affected it seems syria's seven year war is entering yet another phase another phase stephanie and no shortage of international actors involved. absolutely and we've known this throughout this conflict that really has increased you had negotiations ongoing between turkey and russia russia of course controls the air space. there is again it's a race that's happening the border just about kilometer from here but yes russia has given th

into as organized by the turkish authorities they take us close to where there's been fighting with y.p. ji the kurdish armed group turkey calls a terrorist organization turkish forces are trying to push it out of the region about the front line is just a few kilometers west of here both turkish troops and the free syrian army are taking part but no not particularly one of the f.s.a. fighters why he is involved in turkey's operation for some it seems it's personal. the love of the room. because they betrayed us and especially because they took. the displaced along with many. of the. conditions especially now in the winter. what our target courts are telling us is that the front line with the kurdish fighters is just further along. which is over to the side where there's been fighting but what is clear here on the outskirts of city is how much of a presence they are of course supporting the free syrian army fighters and syrian rebels that are already taking a large part in this operation that turkey has undertaken against. the wall while we were here two bullets whizzed overhead. and we're t

drove the fighters across the border into syria they will be part of a ground offensive against the y.p. ji the kurdish group turkey considers to be a terrorist organization it is also however the group the americans consider their best ally in fighting eisel the international dimensions are vast russia and now wants to pulled out a few hundred military personnel that had enough money in shortly after the campaign started and russia controls this air space meaning turkey could not be flying their planes without russia's consent turkey says it is only targeting what it calls terrorists but there are already reports coming out of africa in that civilians have been affected it seems syria seven year war is entering yet another phase stephanie decker al-jazeera on the turkey syria border. the controversial spending bill will be up for another vote on monday on friday the senate failed to agree on the legislation forcing a government shutdown republicans and democrats are blaming each other for the deadlock like how to reports. house democratic minority leader nancy pelosi was the monger thousan

there the y p g the united states is building up a border security force with in alliance with the y.p. ji the problem is the kurds the united states knows and has discovered that the kurds are the most effective fighting force against the assad government and against the islamic state in syria and they've been very successful at that that's the american purpose but the turks regard the kurds and the y. p.g. as a dire threat they label them terrorists and so does the united states and they are determined to destroy the terror of the kurdish military force so there's a real conflict of interest here. by and large the islamics they forces do not hold any territory any longer in syria the kurds have been very effective in eliminating their territorial strongholds but they are still a very serious threat and a threat also to the government of assad the government of assad is crucial here because it's it regards the kurds as an enemy trying to overthrow it at the same time the kurds are fighting the islamic state it's a very complicated situation and russia and iran are allies of the assad gove

drove the fighters across the border into syria they will be part of a ground offensive against the y.p. ji the kurdish group turkey considers to be a terrorist organization it is also however the group the americans consider their best ally in fighting eisel the international dimensions are vast russia and now wants to pulled out a few hundred military personnel it had enough reason shortly after the campaign started and russia controls this airspace meaning turkey could not be flying their planes without russia's consent turkey says it is only targeting what it calls terrorists but there are already reports coming out of africa in that civilians have been affected it seems a serious seven year war is entering yet another phase stephanie decker of turkey syria border. meanwhile syrian state television says government forces have taken control of a rebel held air base in northwest syria who base an adlib province was captured by rebels in twenty fifteen the offensive as part of the government's ongoing efforts to regain control of the area. probably brandis himself the art of the deal presi

allied kurdish group that turkey considers terrorists other y.p. ji is part of a broader coalition known as the syrian democratic forces or the s.d.f. now a short time ago the s.d.f. issued a statement defending itself and insisting that it's only enemy is i saw stephanie decker is the turkey syria border. turkey has now the start of the eastern front these are the free syrian army fighters inside syria. they join what has been pretty much on the western border and the northern border we've had f.s.a. fighters backed by turkish forces move in from this area and also from the north intensive shelling we've been hearing here throughout the day that we've also been speaking to. will tell you that people are resilient that they will not give up their city they will not give up their. fighters are well trained and they have prepared for this they also say that. the city that there hasn't been on the city itself mostly along these border. villages are now somewhat empty as people have made their way further in to this region as this offensive goes on iraq's

policymakers since a decision was taken to partner with the y.p. ji specifically the syria democratic forces to go against eisel with the knowledge that doing so really put us at odds and potentially a crash course with a nato ally turkey and we are basically at that point with i saw on the verge of defeat in syria more or less defeated in iraq the turks now feel really compelled to move against. the white p.g. to prevent any sold of cation of their positions or cementing their status as an autonomy this entity in their southern flank the turks obviously knew that this was going to bring them into some sort of tension with the u.s. given as you say the links with the u.s. links with the y. p.g. was that a deliberate intention as part of this conflict how is the how the why p.g. going to respond if a wage is driven between the u.s. and the kurds. you know the why p.g. really is in a very tough spot now because on the one hand they have invested in a relationship with the united states in a way to further their aspirations in syria and as an insurance c

there the y p g the united states is building up a border security force with in alliance with the y.p. ji the problem is the kurds the united states knows and has discovered that the kurds are the most effective fighting force against the assad government and against the islamic state in syria and they've been very successful at that that's the american purpose but the turks regard the kurds and the y. p.g. as a dire threat they label them terrorists and so does the united states and they are determined to destroy the terror of the kurdish military force so there is a real conflict of interest here and as there has as i mentioned before several times have been these moments of potential conflict doesn't have particularly in this syrian equation what about the actual presence on the ground of u.s. forces because the turks have said that they are going to launch a military operation against africa and in particular other american soldiers that are involved with the wife. i'm not sure i haven't researched that but i know that there are two thousand american soldiers on the ground in syria tw

that their plan is to establish what he called up to a thirty kilometer security zone pushing the y.p. ji away from its borders it has been a fluid fight however on the ground there are incidents when villages have been taken by the free syrian army and turkish forces and you know a day or so later retaken by the white b.g. but of course turkey has superiority when it comes to the sky they're flying jets they're bombing from the air and that of course carries with it a huge advantage when the u.s. secretary of state rex tillerson says russia as the ultimate responsibility for the syrian government's use of chemical weapons it comes after at least twenty one people suffered breathing problems after an alleged chemical attack on a rebel held enclave near damascus rebels on the syrian observatory for human rights are accusing the syrian government of being behind the attack a similar attack was reported that are ten days ago causing seven cases of suffocation. has been besieged by government forces since twenty thirty four hundred thousand people. only yesterday more than twenty civilians mo

national security to safeguard its borders from what it calls of course a terrorist organization the y.p. ji and that member would be next as you've just heard there which is further east but focusing on this operation for now so the shelling goes on and we've covered this from day one and it's been pretty relentless along this border and that is why i think we're hearing these numbers from the united nations around five thousand people having fled these border areas these mountainous areas towards further into the district of the province of affray in the problem is so they can't get out they can't get out to turkey they can't really get out of the province because of two things one the u.n. says that the zero that they the authorities in are free in that is that p y d slash y p g a lot of acronyms. i've cut all the roads off and the second the few people that have been able to leave into government held areas have been set back at checkpoints so it's very very difficult indeed and just briefly no aid agencies are in there at the moment being able to provide for them so if you look at the w

of course what you're seeing here is now having for example two nato members turkey targeting the y.p. ji which is the best ally that the us has in its fight against isis that's the complication that syria will give you and we heard the presidential spokesman earlier telling us here at al-jazeera that turkey is doing its utmost to avoid civilian casualties yes there is going to be a real concern about the humanitarian situation in the in and questions over where the civilians will actually go. absolutely turkey is stressing again and again that is no go it's doing everything to not target civilians the messages the reports that we've been getting out of africa in the last was just a couple of hours ago from the white b.g. still saying six civilians killed but also that airstrikes had affected civilians when it comes to war during it's never clear cut as you know so there will be these issues of course is a psychological aspect of it we were at the border today and the relentless sound of shelling and machine gunfire going into those border villages or over the border villages wherever it