Syrian Democratic Forces halt joint ops with US-led coalition after Turkish fire

The Syrian Democratic Forces, a US-backed group that helped defeat ISIS extremists in Syria, has stopped all joint counter-terrorism operations as a result of Turkish bombardment on its area of control, a spokesman said Friday.

Turkey has ramped up its shelling and airstrikes on northern Syria in recent weeks and is preparing a ground invasion against Syrian Kurdish fighters that it dubs terrorists but which make up the bulk of the US-supported SDF.

The SDF has long warned that fighting off a new Turkish invasion would divert resources away from protecting a prison holding ISIS fighters or targeting ISIS sleeper cells still waging hit-and-run attacks in Syria.