Turkey says that more than 225 Kurdish militia members have been killed since it began an offensive into northeastern Syria on Wednesday, the stated aim being to carve out what it calls a “safe zone.” Aid groups are saying that people numbering in the tens of thousands have already fled the fighting. Ankara is using air strikes, ground forces and a pro-Turkey Syrian militia to do its bidding deep in the 20-mile-wide zone just inside Syria, with artillery units pounding areas closer to the border. The safe zone it envisions extends for some 250 miles and, under a detailed plan, would eventually feature new villages, hospitals, schools and social facilities to accommodate up to 1 million Syrians displaced by an eight-year civil war. It is assumed that most or all of these people would be Syrians who have already found refuge in Turkey, leading to disquiet among Turkish citizens. The Defense Ministry in Ankara says that one Turkish soldier has been killed in the fighting.
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