Shelling, Gunfire Heard in Northern Syria Despite Ceasefire Deal

Despite reaching a ceasefire deal on Thursday, shelling and gunfire resonated in northern Syria, according to a Reuters reporter’s testimony early Friday.

One day after Turkey agreed with the United States to pause its offensive in Syria for five days, shelling and gunfire resonated in northern Syria, according to Reuters.

The Turkish town of Ceylanpinar across the border from Ras al-Ain witnessed shelling and gunfire resonation on Friday, despite teaching a ceasefire deal.

“There are sporadic artillery strikes and you can hear shooting in the town of Ras al-Ain,” said Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Abdul Rahman added that pro-Turkey armed factions attacked a medical convoy while it was heading to Ras al-Ain on Friday.

On Thursday, U.S. delegation, led by Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, reached a deal with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a 120-hour ceasefire.

The deal aims to allow a pullback of Kurdish YPG militia and pause all military operations carrying out by Ankara in northern Syria.

Pence manifested that the Turkish offensive into northern Syria will end once the Kurdish-led forces withdrawal completes.

After more than four hours of talks at the presidential palace in Ankara, the U.S. vice president stressed that “All military operations under Operation Peace Spring will be paused, and Operation Peace Spring will be halted entirely on completion of the withdrawal.”

On October 9, Turkey launched a military operation against Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria just days after U.S. troops pulled back from the area.

Erdogan claimed the aim was to eliminate what he called a “terror corridor” on Turkey’s southern border.

Turkey had been poised to enter northeast Syria since U.S. troops, who have been fighting with Kurdish-led forces against ISIS, started to leave in an abrupt policy shift by U.S. President Donald Trump.