Syria war: UK suspends new arms sales to Turkey amid international outcry over offensive against Kurds

Suspension follows other EU countries halting sales

The British government has suspended new arms sales to Turkey amid an international outcry over its offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria.

Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, told parliament that no further export licences “for items that might be used in military operations in Syria” would be issued to Turkey until a review had taken place.

He further called on Turkey to “exercise maximum restraint and to bring an end to this unilateral military action”.

Britain now joins Italy, France, Germany and a number of other countries in halting weapons exports to Ankara in response to a widely criticised offensive that has killed dozens of civilians and displaced more than 275,000 people.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, launched his controversial cross-border offensive on Wednesday to create a buffer zone against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which Ankara regards as a terrorist group for its affiliation with outlawed Kurdish group the PKK.

Despite global condemnation of the military offensive, Turkey and its Syrian rebel allies have not backed down. On Tuesday, major developments on the ground continued as Russian and Syrian government forces moved to fill the void left by the departing US forces in the strategic town of Manbij. The exchange of control in the town was symbolic of Washington’s retreat from the Syria conflict.

“We are out of Manbij,” said Colonel Myles B Caggins, spokesman for the US-led coalition in Syria, adding that US troops “are executing a deliberate withdrawal from northeast Syria”.

Video footage shared online appeared to show Assad regime forces racing into the Kurdish-held areas and crossing paths with American vehicles leaving.

As Turkey continued to press its offensive around the town of Ras al-Ayn, some residents of northeast Syria said they felt the UK’s move against Ankara was too little too late.

“The mood on the street here is that people are not interested in actions that will have an impact on the situation in the future, like cancelling new arms sales. The damage is already done,” said Radwan, a local journalist in Kobani.

“People need action right now. We need the war to stop, we need the destruction, the displacement to end,” he added.

The decision comes a day after European Union member states pledged to suspend weapons exports, but stopped short of a formal embargo. Donald Trump, the US president, also announced sanctions against three senior Turkish officials on Monday, and halted negotiations on a $100bn (£80bn) trade deal.

Amnesty International called the UK’s suspension the “right decision”, but said it must apply to “all existing licences”.

“The UK has a responsibility to minimise the risk of UK weaponry contributing to violations of international humanitarian law,” said Allan Hogarth, Amnesty International UK’s head of policy and government affairs.

“Today’s move over Turkey is welcome, but it’s a reminder of how ramshackle and inconsistent the UK’s arms control system actually is.”

The United Nations warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis in northern Syria, saying on Tuesday that 160,000 people have been displaced in the week-long operation. The Kurdish-led authority argues that the true number is much higher, saying more than 275,000 people have fled their homes, including 70,000 children.

Meanwhile at least 60 civilians, including more than 20 children have been killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

International aid workers and journalists have fled after the Kurdish-led forces were forced to strike a deal with Syrian regime forces to repel the Turkish attack.

The Kurds are largely outgunned by Turkish-backed forces after they were left to fend for themselves when Mr Trump ordered all 1,000 US troops in Syria to leave the country.

The US had once partnered with the SDF to fight Isis.

Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of Nato, raised concern about the effect Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria could have on the fight against Isis and stability in the region, following a meeting with the British prime minister on Tuesday.

“I am concerned about the consequences for ... the gains we have made in fighting our common enemy,” he said. “And it is extremely important that we preserve those gains.”

A Downing Street spokesperson said that Boris Johnson shared the Nato chief’s concern about the situation.

The spokesperson said: “Both leaders stressed the value of Turkey as a Nato ally and recognised the role they have played in supporting refugees from the Syrian conflict.

“But they were clear that the current Turkish operation needed to end.”