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U.N. calls for protecting civilians in northeast Syria

07 October 2019 14:08 (UTC +04:00)

Civilians must be spared in any Turkish military operation in northeast Syria, a senior U.N. aid official said on Monday, APA reports citing Reuters.

The United States said it was pulling troops from northeast Syria, in a major shift which clears the way for a Turkish military operation against YPG terrorists.

Panos Moumtzis, U.N. regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis, speaking hours later, told reporters in Geneva that had drawn up contingency plans to provide aid. “We are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst,” he said, adding that the U.N. had seen a “bitter history” of safe zones in places like Srebrenica.