Following initial statements about an upcoming military operation in the Eastern Euphrates and Manbij against Kurdish militants, the Turkish president announced on 21 December that it would be delayed in light of a US decision to withdraw its troops from Syria.
Turkey has started sending military reinforcements to the border with Syria and to the Arab Republic itself, reported the Turkish Demiroren News Agency (DHA). According to it, a Turkish military convoy, moving through Kilis district, consisted of tanks, howitzers, and busses full of commandos.