AMMAN, Jordan — Turkey threatens to battle Syrian government troops ifthey enter Syrian enclave to protect Kurdish fighters.

Syrian TV: Pro-government forces to enter Kurdish enclave

BEIRUT (AP) — Pro-Syrian government forces will begin entering the SyrianKurdish enclave of Afrin in the country’s northwest “within hours,” afterreaching an agreement with the Kurdish militia in control of the region,Syrian state media said Monday.

The official news agency SANA said the forces will deploy in Afrin to”bolster” local forces in confronting Turkish “aggression,” suggesting theSyrian government and Kurdish fighters have struck a deal under which thegovernment forces would help repel an ongoing Turkish offensive on theenclave.

The agreement may prompt Turkey to pull out its forces and end a month-longair and ground offensive that aims to oust the Syrian Kurdish militia knownas the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, from Afrin. Ankara considers theYPG a “terrorist group” linked to its own Kurdish insurgency withinTurkey’s borders.

SANA gave no further details about the deployment of the troops, known as”popular forces,” to the area. The Syrian government withdrew from much ofthe border area with Turkey in 2012 and maintains no presence in Afrin.

The move could be a first step toward restoring Syrian government presencealong the border with Turkey, which has been an active supporter ofPresident Bashar Assad’s opponents and sponsored rebels fighting to ousthim throughout the seven-year Syrian civil war.

However, Turkey in recent years has focused more on limiting expandingKurdish influence along its borders.

Turkey’s private Haberturk newspaper said the Syrian government forces wereexpected to deploy at 52 locations within the week and to four locations inthe next two days. The paper claimed that under the deal, the YPG hadagreed to hand over heavy weapons it holds.

The paper did not provide a source for the report. – Agencies