Turkey lied about IS threat in Afrin: Kurdish official

The US backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) rejected on Wednesday a Turkish army statement that IS was present in the Afrin region of northwestern Syria, where Ankara launched an offensive four days ago which has raised international concern.

"The whole world knows Daesh is not present in Afrin," Redur Xelil, a senior SDF official, told Reuters, revealing that the Turkish military had greatly exaggerated SDF casualties.

Ankara launched a military offensive into Afrin, a Kurdish enclave of Syria, claiming it an "anti-terrorist campaign" targeting a US-backed Kurdish group, the People's Protection Unit (YPG).

The Turkish military said on Tuesday that at least 260 YPG and IS fighters had been killed in its operation.

Syrian Kurdish leaders called on civilians to take up arms to defend the Afrin enclave against a continuing Turkish assault.

Xelil also said the SDF had killed tens of Turkish forces and allied Free Syrian Army fighters, but said he did not have a precise figure.

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