Syria's Kurds battled to hold off a Turkish invasion on Thursday as thousands of civilians fled air strikes and shelling that deepened fears of a humanitarian crisis. But international condemnation of the Turkish assault was overwhelming and the response to the operation was discussed in an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. Syrian Kurdish forces lost 11,000 personnel and played a major role in the years-long battle to eliminate the "caliphate" IS had set up in the region. About 12,000 men linked to IS are held in seven detention centres across northeast Syria, according to the Kurds. On Thursday, the Kurdish administration said a prison housing IS fighters in the region under its control was hit by Turkish bombardment.

Source: The Hindu October 11, 2019 02:15 UTC