Turkish Military Offensive in Syria

President Erdogan said the operation would stamp out Kurdish "terrorists". Warplanes have bombed positions of the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia; Turkey sees the fighters as an extension of the Kurdish PKK which it has banned. Also, 15 Syrians have frozen to death on the mountainous border with Lebanon as they tried to flee conflict, and the International Olympic Committee has announced 22 North Korean athletes will take part in the Winter Olympics next month in South Korea.

(Image: Turkish-backed fighters from the Free Syrian Army fire towards Kurdish YPG positions in Afrin. Credit: AFP)