'Peace Spring' puts further stress on Syria: China Daily editorial

The situation in Syria risks being plunged into a new round of chaos and conflict that may cause a humanitarian crisis after Turkey launched a broad assault against Kurdish fighters in the north of the country on Wednesday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has justified the massive military action as a move necessary to eliminate what he called "the threat of terror" against Turkey.

"Our mission is to prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border, and to bring peace to the area," he said in a tweet while announcing "Operation Peace Spring".

The irony is that the Syrian Democratic Forces which Erdogan is now targeting due to its presumed ties with Kurdish insurgents inside Turkey has spearheaded the fight against the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria over the past five years. It just captured the last IS area controlled by the militants in eastern Syria in March, and now holds thousands of IS fighters in detention facilities in northeastern Syria. The ongoing Turkish attacks cannot but raise worries that they will reverse the military gains achieved against IS and lead to a resurgence of the extremist group in the region.

More than 2 million people live in the area affected by the attacks, according to aid groups. And despite Turkey having promised to protect civilians, it is evident that civilians will suffer. There have already been reports about civilian casualties in the early hours of the Turkish offensive, and people are fleeing their homes, on foot and in cars, with whatever belongings they have, sparking worries about a humanitarian crisis.

Syria has condemned Turkey's military strike, calling it a "blatant violation" of international law. Which is why China has called on Turkey to respect Syria's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, expressing deep concern about the consequences of Ankara's action at a time when a political solution to the turmoil in Syria has been gaining momentum.

As the UN Security Council meets on Thursday to discuss Syria, a UN spokesman said the secretary-general believes that "there's no military solution to the Syrian conflict", a truth that has been proved by eight years of devastating civil war in that country.

All parties concerned now face a test of their collective conscience as they are requested to find a viable solution to ease the escalating tensions in Syria and avoid adding new complications.