ISTANBUL — Turkey on Sunday announced a ground offensive in northern Syria as part of its assault on Kurdish militias there, state media reported, expanding an already fierce air and artillery operation that has raised fears of wider conflict both in Syria and the region.
Turkish troops, and Turkey-backed Syrian rebels crossed the border at 11 a.m. Sunday local time, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters in Istanbul.
“The land operation has begun,” he said, according to local media.
