Turkey begins Syria offensive, targeting U.S.-backed Kurds

Turkey launched airstrikes and fired artillery across its border into northeastern Syria on Wednesday to open a military operation aimed at flushing out a U.S.-backed militia, Turkish and Syrian officials said.Turkish television stations broadcast video of fighter jets taking off, howitzers firing and smoke rising from Syrian towns, while images posted on social media showed Syrians fleeing in trucks piled high with their possessions and children. Two civilians were killed and others were wounde