Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey’s incursion into northern Syria has been successful, with a 400-square-kilometer area cleared of Islamic State and Kurdish YPG militia forces.
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But Ankara dismissed this claim, which was corroborated on the Kurdish side.
Kalin says Erdogan is engaged in diplomacy to try to secure a cease-fire in Syria during the upcoming Eid holiday.
“Right now, people say they have gone to the east but we say no, they haven’t crossed”, he said during a speech at Ankara’s Esenboga airport, referring to the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia, which Ankara sees as a terror organization linked to separatist rebels in southeast Turkey. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Wednesday that “operations will continue until all terrorist elements have been neutralised, until all threats to our borders, our lands and our citizens are completely over”.
Moadamiyeh, which a United Nations report said was gassed with toxic sarin in 2013, has suffered a three-year government siege, leaving its estimated 28,000 residents with dwindling food and medical supplies.
Ankara’s bombardments of their positions appeared to have eased, with no reports of any such strikes since Monday. During the meeting it was stressed that “such statements are unacceptable and do not correspond to the relations with the alliance”, said Turkish MFA spokesman Tanju Bilgiç, according to the newspaper Hurriyet.
A USA defence official in Washington, who requested anonymity, said that any continuing presence by the YPG in the area was “completely insignificant”.
Turkey considers the YPG to be an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) – a group striving for an independent Kurdish state in Turkey – which Ankara has declared a terrorist organisation.
Turkish forces have targeted IS inside Syria, but have also attacked Kurdish fighters in the same area.
However, the US-led anti-ISIS coalition has been backing the YPG with training and equipment.
Immediately afterwards, clashes started to erupt between US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) -led by YPG- and the pro-Turkey factions.
On Wednesday, Turkish officials rejected reports by US Central Command officials of a “ceasefire” with the Kurdish militia.
Concerned at the arrival of a new military player in the already complex conflict in Syria, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier cautioned Turkey against keeping its military there.
Iran, a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, urged Turkey to quickly wrap up its campaign, calling it a violation of Syria’s sovereignty.
Turkey has said Syria was informed in advance of the operation by Russian Federation.
The Islamic State group’s Aamaq news agency says the “martyrdom” attack occurred in the village of Kuliyah, west of the Syrian border town of Jarablus.
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There have been Turkish air strikes and artillery fire on YPG targets while a Turkish soldier was killed inside Syria when his tank was hit by a rocket fired by the YPG.
