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Turkey continues hostilities in Afrin despite UN cease-fire

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to stay and slay a "dragon" in his military’s month long-campaign against a Kurdish militia in Syria, dismissing assertions from Western allies that the Security Council resolution is intended for the entire war-battered country.

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A Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army fighter carries his weapon in eastern Afrin, Syria, Feb. 13, 2018. — REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refuses to abandon a military campaign in the Kurdish-run province of Afrin, rejecting calls by Western allies that a United Nations Security Council resolution for a cease-fire across Syria applies to the Turkish incursion.

The Security Council voted unanimously on Feb. 24 for a 30-day cease-fire across Syria to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid amid Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s weeklong assault on the rebel enclave of Ghouta that has killed almost 600 people, a quarter of them children. UN officials say Assad has so far failed to honor the truce.

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