Russia on Sunday, March 13 accused Turkey of sending its military across the Syrian border to prevent Kurdish groups there from consolidating their positions, while Turkish authorities imposed curfews on two mainly Kurdish towns where Turkey's security forces are set to launch large-scale operations against Kurdish militants, the Associated Press reports.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia has evidence of Turkey's "creeping expansion" in northern Syria.
"According to our information, they are digging in a few hundred meters from the border inside Syria," Lavrov said in an interview with Russian REN TV broadcast on Sunday.
Lavrov was asked about a REN TV report broadcast two weeks ago of Turkish tanks and artillery along the Syrian border near the Syrian city of Kobane. The foreign minister said he had seen the reports, but gave no further details about what Russia maintains is Turkey's military presence inside Syria, AP says.
Lavrov said Turkey has declared a sovereign right to create a security zone on Syrian territory to prevent the unification of Kurdish enclaves located to the east and to the west in northern Syria.
