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Syria conflict: Why Azaz is so important for Turkey and the Kurds
Turkey is facing mounting criticism for shelling Kurdish forces across the border in northern Syria.
The Turkish government has said its troops were responding - in line with their terms of engagement - to fire from members of the Popular Protection Units (YPG) as the militia advanced on the Syrian rebel-held town of Azaz, just 7km (4 miles) from the frontier.
...
"This area is on the land corridor stretching from the Turkish border to the city of Aleppo," he adds. "So both for humanitarian aid to go through and for the rebel forces to hold on to the area, Azaz is of strategic importance."
...
"If the Kurds take Azaz, then they could join the land gap between their two enclaves, Kobane and Afrin. Prime Minister Davutoglu fears that if the Kurds capture Azaz, they could start a big offensive from Kobane to the west and from Afrin to the east," he explains.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-35595023
The Turkish government has said its troops were responding - in line with their terms of engagement - to fire from members of the Popular Protection Units (YPG) as the militia advanced on the Syrian rebel-held town of Azaz, just 7km (4 miles) from the frontier.
...
"This area is on the land corridor stretching from the Turkish border to the city of Aleppo," he adds. "So both for humanitarian aid to go through and for the rebel forces to hold on to the area, Azaz is of strategic importance."
...
"If the Kurds take Azaz, then they could join the land gap between their two enclaves, Kobane and Afrin. Prime Minister Davutoglu fears that if the Kurds capture Azaz, they could start a big offensive from Kobane to the west and from Afrin to the east," he explains.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-35595023