The Turkish military deployed tanks and armored vehicles to the border province of Hatay on Sunday as Turkey continues its preparations for a military operation east of the Euphrates River in Syria against Kurdish militia.
According to the Demirören news agency several tanks and armored vehicles were dispatched by rail from the eastern province of Erzurum to the border city of Hatay.
The vehicles were offloaded at İskenderun train station and were put on trucks en route to border troops stationed around the Cilvegözü border gate under heavy security.
Turkey previously launched two military offensives against Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) fighters, capturing several towns and cities west of the Euphrates River.
Ankara deems the YPG an offshoot of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish government for decades.
US President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened Turkey with economic devastation if it attacked the Syrian Kurds, a statement that was criticized by Ankara on Monday, accusing the US of protecting terrorists.