5 killed by Turkish airstrikes in Syria's Hasakah despite cease-fire agreement

A total of five people were killed Friday by Turkish airstrikes in Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah despite a cease-fire agreement with Kurdish forces, state news agency SANA reported.

A general view showing smoke clouds rising from the scene of clashes between the Syria democratic forces (SDF) and Turkish troops and their Syrian opposition allies near Ras al-Ain town, northeastern of Syria on October 17, 2019. [Photo: IC]

Some 20 other civilians were wounded in the airstrikes that targeted the village of Um al-Kheir on the outskirts of the city of Ras al-Ayn in the countryside of Hasakah province near Turkey.

The airstrikes came as a cease-fire agreement was announced on Thursday by the United States when U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Turkey has agreed to a cease-fire in Syria, under which the Kurdish forces of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) must dismantle their defensive fortifications and pull troops from the border area.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said Friday that the Turkey-backed rebels prevented humanitarian convoys from entering the Ras al-Ayn city, which is besieged by the Turkey-backed rebels and Turkish forces.

The Britain-based watchdog group said clashes were taking place on several fronts in Ras al-Ayn, in what appeared to be a fresh attempt by the Turkey-backed rebels to storm the city, which led to the injury of 10 Kurdish fighters.

On Thursday night, the SDF released a statement pledging to abide by the U.S.-Turkish cease-fire in northern Syria, urging Turkey to live up to its pledges as well.

The general-command of the SDF said in its statement that it approves the cease-fire agreement that will see a halt of military operation across the Syrian-Turkish border.

It said the cease-fire went into force at 22:00 p.m. local Syria time (1900 GMT).

Following his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, Pence announced that the Turkish military operations will be paused for five days, adding the United States will help facilitate an "orderly withdrawal" of Kurdish-led troops from what Turkey has termed as a "safe zone" on the Syrian-Turkish border.

The cease-fire agreement comes a week after Turkey launched a crushing offensive to eliminate the Kurdish forces from border areas with Turkey and to resettle millions of Syrian refugees in the so-called "safe zone" that will be supervised by Turkey.