Istanbul staffers Lefteris Pitarakis, chief photographer, and Mehmet Guzel, video journalist, overcame major obstacles to cover Turkey’s offensive into northern Syria, including disruptions of communications networks, hostility to international media and sporadic shelling. The pair provided powerful visual coverage of the military buildup on the Turkish side of the border, early scenes of troops crossing into Syria and a live shot of the border and the chaotic scene of a mortar attack in the Turkish town of Akcakale. Strong contributions from Beirut rounded out the coverage.
Despite challenges, strong coverage of Turkish offensive into Syria
Seen from Akcakale, Sanliurfa province, southeastern Turkey, smoke billows from a fire inside Syria during bombardment by Turkish forces, Oct. 9, 2019. Turkey launched a military operation against Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria after U.S. forces pulled back from the area, with a series of airstrikes hitting a town on Syria's northern border.
AP Photo / Lefteris Pitarakis