TURKEY’S war on Syrian Kurds in the northern region of Afrin is forcing the YPG militia to abandon positions against the Isis death cult in the Syrian desert, as the Turks advance on the area’s main town.

Turkish troops seized the town of Jinderes in southern Afrin today, clearing an obstacle on the way to Afrin town itself.

The YPG, which has been supported by the United States, said this week that it is having to recall 1,700 fighters from the Isis front lines to defend against Turkey’s “Operation Olive Branch.”

At the same time, the US-led bombing coalition said it would pause its strikes against Isis in eastern Syria.

The US is not aiding the YPG in its fight against Turkey, a fellow Nato member, and the invasion of Kurdish-governed areas by Turkey has pushed the Kurds and the Syrian government in Damascus into a closer relationship, with pro-government militias travelling to Afrin to fight.

“Afrin is in need of whoever can defend it,” said Ilham Ahmed, a senior official in the Kurdish-held Rojava area. She said the Kurds were ready to talk to the government “and to resolve our issues with them.”

Ms Ahmed, a native of Afrin, said the Kurds have been “astonished” by the “global silence” in the face of the Turkish campaign.

Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist group — a common charge Ankara levels against anyone it deems to support the Kurds, against whom it has waged a brutal crackdown in south-eastern Turkey.

Nearly 200 Syrian civilians have been killed by Turkish shelling and air strikes since the start of the invasion six weeks ago.