AIR strikes have hit a town on Syria's northern border as Turkey launched a military operation against Kurdish fighters.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the start of the campaign, which followed an abrupt decision on Sunday by US president Donald Trump that American troops would step aside to allow for the operation.
After Turkey's offensive began, there were signs of panic in the streets of Ras al-Ayn - one of the towns under attack with residential areas close to the borders.
Kurdish forces have warned the operation could create a "humanitarian catastrophe".
Erdogan claimed in a tweet: "Our mission is to prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border, and to bring peace to the area.
He said Turkish armed forces and Turkish-backed Syrian fighters known as the Syrian National Army had begun what they called "Operation Peace Spring" against Kurdish fighters to eradicate what Erdogan said was "the threat of terror" against Turkey.
Minutes before Erdogan's announcement, Turkish jets began pounding the town of Ras al Ayn, according to Turkish media and Syrian activists.
Mustafa Bali, a spokesman for the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, said Turkish warplanes were targeting "civilian areas" in northern Syria, causing "a huge panic" in the region.
Turkey has long threatened to attack the Kurdish fighters and has been massing troops for days along its border with Syria.
Trump later said his decision to pull back US troops fulfilled a campaign promise to withdraw from the "endless war" in the Middle East. Republican critics and others said he was sacrificing an ally, the Syrian Kurdish forces.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel