He repeated his criticism of Washington's support for the Kurdish militia, saying the U.S. should have partnered with Turkey in fighting IS. There are an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 Kurdish fighters in the enclave, home to about 800,000 civilians. Afrin is surrounded by Turkish-backed Syrian fighters, Turkish troops and Syrian government forces. The only road out of the enclave to government-controlled Aleppo has been closed by the Kurdish militia for security reasons. The Kurdish Hawar news agency said Kurdish fighters returned cross-border fire in northeastern Hassakeh province, a predominantly Kurdish area bordering Iraq.

Source: ABC News January 22, 2018 08:28 UTC