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Media Summary

Kurds do deal with Syrian regime

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BBC News, the GuardianTelegraphTimesIndependentFinancial TimesSky NewsDaily Mail and Reuters report that the Syrian government has agreed to send its army to the northern border to try to halt Turkey’s offensive against the Kurdish people. The US is poised to move about 1,000 U.S. troops from northern Syria amid an ongoing Turkish incursion into the region, Défense Secretary Mark Esper said on Sunday, calling the situation “untenable” for US forces. Areas under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have come under heavy bombardment over the weekend, with Turkey making gains in two key border towns.

BBC News, the GuardianIndependentITV News and Channel 4 News report that amid fears of the resurgence of the IS group as a result of the fighting, Kurdish officials said on Sunday that nearly 800 relatives of foreign IS members had escaped from Ain Issa, a camp in the north, as clashes raged nearby. Reuters reports that European states are trying to fast-track a plan to shift thousands of foreign IS militants out of Syrian prison camps and into Iraq.

Reuters reports that the UN has claimed that more than 130,000 people have been displaced from rural areas around the northeast Syrian border towns of Tel Abyad and Ras al Ain as a result of fighting between Turkish-led forces and Kurdish militia.

The TelegraphIndependent and Reuters report that Turkey’s Syrian rebels allies have been accused of killing a prominent female Kurdish politician and at least eight other unarmed civilians.

Reuters reports that France has stated that it was taking measures to ensure the safety of its military and civilian personnel in north eastern Syria.

Reuters reports that the Trump administration is set to impose economic sanctions on Ankara this week, for its incursion into northern Syria.

Reuters reports that Germany has banned arms exports to Turkey over its assault against Kurdish YPG militia in Syria.

The Independent reports that hundreds of Kurdish protesters have marched through central London demanding the UK does more to end Turkey’s invasion of north-eastern Syria.

The Guardian reports that former US Defence Secretary James Mattis has said President Donald Trump’s abrupt withdrawal of US troops from the Syria-Turkey border has increased the chances of a resurgence of IS. But the retired general passed up an opportunity to directly criticise the president.

In the Times, Catherine Philip argues that US President Donald Trump’s chaotic withdrawal from Syria “rewards US enemies”.

The Guardian argues that the ongoing conflict in north-eastern Syria represents a manmade disaster: “The US president was warned about the consequences of betraying the Kurds. Now he can see them, and he still doesn’t care”.

In the Telegraph, Sir Peter Westmacott states that “Erdogan’s incursion into Syria has appalled his allies, but will play well for him at home”

In the Guardian, Hassan argues that President Trump and President Erdogan “risk a resurgent Isis thanks to their recklessness in Syria”.

In the Times, Edward Lucas maintains that “every US ally now fears betrayal like the Kurds”: “Trump’s erratic foreign policy means that European nations must prepare to be cast aside too”.

The Guardian and Telegraph report that three orphans thought to be British have been found in a camp for people affiliated to IS in an area of north-east Syria, which has come under attack by Turkish-backed forces.

The Telegraph argues that the UK “must show compassion and repatriate British children in Isil camps”.

The Telegraph and Independent report that the Russian air force deliberately bombed at least four hospitals in rebel-controlled parts of Syria, intercepted radio messages suggest. Russia has been accused of deliberately targeting medical facilities and personnel repeatedly since it entered the war in Syria.

In the Guardian, Simon Tisdall maintains that “Syria war criminals may find the law is finally closing in on them”: “despite huge amounts of documentary evidence collected since 2011 by the UN and independent human rights groups, the perpetrators of such crimes in Syria, whether they are governments, armed factions or individuals, have mostly escaped punishment. This has encouraged a sense of impunity among wrongdoers – and dismay among victims”.

BBC News reports that the Pentagon has announced the deployment of thousands of additional troops to “enhance the defence of Saudi Arabia”. US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper says he has authorised the deployment of additional forces, including fighter jets and a defence system. He said it was in response to “threats in the region”, amid efforts to protect the kingdom from “Iranian aggression”.

Reuters reports that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has told the IRGC to develop more advanced and modern weapons amid heightened tensions with the US and Saudi Arabia.

Reuters reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Saudi Arabia on Monday for the first time in over a decade, seeking to capitalise on growing influence borne of military advances in Syria, strong ties with regional rivals and cooperation on energy policy.

Reuters reports that Putin told Arab broadcasters in an interview aired on Sunday he had no reliable information about who was behind last month’s attack on Saudi oil facilities.

Reuters reports that tourist visas for Saudi Arabia are now available online and on arrival to holidaymakers who already hold a visa from the US, UK or the EU’s Schengen zone, expanding eligibility beyond an initial list of 49 countries.

Reuters reports that Israel has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to pardon a US-Israeli woman given a 7 and a half year prison sentence for possessing drugs found in her luggage as she transited through a Moscow airport.

The Financial Times argues that Iranian hardliners’ anti-graft drive “masks wider goals”: “The country’s political and business elite is being targeted in a drive that some fear could be exploited to suppress reform”.