News - Middle East: A spokesman for the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) says all joint military operations with the US-led coalition have been put on hold as a result of Turkish bombardment on its area of control in northern Syria.

"All the joint special operations we were carrying out regularly" have been halted, Aram Henna was quoted as saying on Friday.

Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder earlier told reporters that operations had not stopped.

Turkey has ramped up its bombardment of northern Syria in recent weeks following the deadly November 13 bomb attack in Istanbul.

Ankara blames the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its Syrian affiliate of the YPG militant group – which is the backbone of the SDF – for the attack, which killed six people and injured more than 80.

No group has claimed responsibility for the Istanbul blast and both the PKK and the YPG have denied involvement in it.