Morning Briefing: October 6, 2023

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday, including an air operation by Turkish forces against terrorists in Syria, the US acknowledgment of Türkiye's legitimate security concerns, the death of dozens in a drone attack in Syria, and pullout of Russian peacekeepers from Karabakh.

TOP STORIES

• Dozens of YPG/PKK targets destroyed by Turkish forces in Syria

Turkish forces destroyed 30 targets in northern Syria belonging to the YPG/PKK terrorist group on Thursday, including oil wells and shelters, said Türkiye’s National Defense Ministry.

An air operation was carried out against terrorist targets in the Tal Rifat, Jazira, and Al-Malikiyah regions at 11 p.m. local time (2000GMT), the ministry said in a statement.

A total of 30 targets including oil wells and storage facilities used by the separatist terrorist organization and caves, bunkers, shelters, and warehouses, which were considered to contain senior terrorists, were destroyed.

• US says it acknowledges Türkiye’s ‘legitimate security concerns’ in Syria

The Pentagon said Thursday that the US acknowledges Türkiye’s “legitimate security concerns,” noting that Türkiye is one of its “strongest and most valued NATO allies.”

Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder told a daily press briefing that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke by phone Thursday with his Turkish counterpart Yasar Guler.

During the call, Austin acknowledged Türkiye’s “legitimate security concerns” and underscored the importance of close coordination between the US and Türkiye to prevent any risk to US forces or the global coalition from defeating the ISIS mission.

• At least 80 dead in drone attack at Syria's military graduation ceremony

Dozens were killed Thursday in a drone attack that targeted a graduation ceremony for the Syrian regime’s military academy cadets in Homs, according to the SANA news agency.

The death toll climbed to 80 along with 240 injured, the regime’s news agency cited in a statement by Health Minister Hasan Ghabbash.

The General Command of the Army and Armed Forces said earlier that dozens were injured in a “terrorist attack” carried out with “explosive ammunition.”

• Russia starts pulling peacekeepers out of Karabakh

Russia on Thursday announced that it had started pulling out peacekeepers from Karabakh, a contingent sent to the region in the wake of a fall 2020 conflict in the southern Caucasus region.

Russian peacekeepers dismantled temporary observation posts along the former contact line in the Askeran (Asgaran or Khojaly), Aghdara (Martakert), and Shusha districts of Azerbaijan, Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said was only a matter of time before Azerbaijan established constitutional order in the Karabakh region.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed Thursday that 48 people were killed in a Russian strike on a grocery shop in the eastern city of Kupiansk.

• The United Arab Emirates reached an agreement on Thursday with Lebanon to reopen its embassy in the capital Beirut, which has been closed since 2021.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Thursday that no enemy stands a chance to survive if Russia launches a retaliatory nuclear strike as its potential is incomparably greater.

• The European Union on Thursday reassured Ukraine of the bloc’s “unwavering support” at the third meeting of the European Political Community of 40 countries in Spain.

• The Venezuelan Prosecutor General's Office announced late Thursday that an arrest warrant has been issued for former opposition leader Juan Guaido, over alleged ‘money laundering and treason.

• The 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday has been awarded to Norwegian author Jon Fosse "for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable," said the Swedish Academy in Stockholm.

• Pakistani and Afghan foreign ministers met in Tibet on Thursday amid escalating diplomatic tensions over Islamabad's deadline for illegal Afghan refugees to leave the country by the end of October.

• The Biden administration announced the waiver of 26 federal laws to build a wall at the US-Mexico border in the state of Texas, as the area has recently seen an influx of 250,000 immigrants.

• Somalia said Thursday that its forces backed by local militias killed at least 100 al-Shabaab terrorists in central Galmudug state according to information Minister Daud Aweis.

SPORTS

• Turkish football club Fenerbahce defeats Spartak Trnava

Fenerbahce defeated Sovakia's Spartak Trnava 2-1 in the UEFA Conference League Group H game on Thursday.

Fenerbahce scored the opener with Joshua King in the 70th minute at Stadion Antona Malatinskeho.

King scored another goal in the 81st minute.

With this result, Fenerbahce are atop Group H with 6 points.

• Verstappen on the brink of winning 3rd title in F1

Formula 1 is coming to Qatar this weekend and Red Bull's Max Verstappen is on the verge of winning his third title.

Back-to-back champion in 2021 and 2022, Verstappen, who won 13 Grands Prix this season, will secure the 2023 title if he finishes sixth or higher in the sprint on Saturday.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• World Bank revises up Türkiye's 2023 economic growth forecast from 3.2% to 4.2%

The World Bank on Thursday revised Türkiye's economic growth forecast for 2023 to 4.2%, up from its previous projection of 3.2%.

The upward revision is a result of "reduced policy uncertainty and resilient consumer demand," the institution said in a statement.

It added that reduced uncertainty reflects "the positive steps the authorities have taken to normalize macroeconomic policies following the May 2023 elections."

• Canada sees $718 million trade surplus in August

Canada saw a trade surplus of $718 million in August, the first since April, and a strong rebound from a deficit of $437 million in July, according to figures released Thursday.

The expectation was to show a deficit of $1.5 billion.

Canada's merchandise exports increased 5.7%, while imports rose 3.8%, the country’s statistical body said in a statement.