Bombardment in border town as Turkey pushes offensive in Syria

Reuters -  Clouds of smoke rose above the buildings of Syria's Ras al Ain on Thursday (October 17) as Turkey pushed on with its assault on northern Syria. Turkey says it aims to defeat the YPG and create a "safe zone" where millions of Syrian war refugees now in Turkey could be resettled. The United Nations says 160,000 people have fled their homes as Turkish forces advance. The regional Kurdish administration puts the number of displaced at 270,000. U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. forces before a Turkish offensive into northern Syria last week has shattered the relative calm there and he has been accused of abandoning Kurdish militia who helped the United States fight Islamic State militants in the region.