14,000 FSA soldiers deployed ahead of imminent Turkish op in Syria

At least 14,000 Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters will be drafted to join an imminent Turkish operation in Syria’s northeastern region, according to a Syrian military official.

Speaking exclusively to Yeni Şafak daily, Syrian National Army Spokesman Yusuf Hammoud said the operation represents a “new hope” for the Syrian people who were uprooted from their lands and homes.

Hammoud said 14,000 FSA soldiers will be deployed during the first phase, noting that “more units will be summoned to the front in case of need.”

Since 2016, Turkey’s Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations in northwestern Syria have liberated the region from YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists, making it possible for Syrians who fled the violence to return home.

Turkey has long decried the threat from terrorists east of the Euphrates in northern Syria, pledging military action to prevent the formation of a "terrorist corridor" there.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. YPG is the Syrian branch of the terrorist organization PKK.