BERLIN (DW News) — Germany and France have suspended arms exports to Turkey as international condemnation of Ankara’s military operation against Kurdish forces in north-eastern Syria intensifies. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu defended the country’s incursion in Syria in an interview with DW.

On day five of the incursion Turkish artillery continued to shell Kurdish positions inside Syria. Turkish-backed ground forces are advancing into the area. More than 50 civilians have been killed on both sides. Ankara’s goal is to push back Kurdish forces and create a buffer zone along its southern border. Up to 200,000 people have been forced to flee their homes by the fighting.