Erdogan said he had agreed with President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in China to do “what is necessary” to drive IS out of Raqa. He said his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama had broached the subject at the meeting.
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“Obama wants to do some things together concerning Raqqa in particular”, Erdogan told reporters on his plane that arrived early on Tuesday, referring to Islamic State’s de facto capital.
Turkey and the rebels also clashed for several days with Kurdish-led forces, who have been the main United States ally inside Syria in the war against Daesh.
“If we can seal that border using Turkish forces, opposition forces, with our logistical and air support, I think that would help us make a substantial gain against ISIS”, he said using another acronym for the group.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim curtly replied 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”.
Ankara sees the opportunity for cooperation with the USA as a chance to kill two birds with one stone that will both hit Islamic State (IS formerly ISIS/ISIL) and Kurdish fighters, who they also consider terrorists. The operation also is meant to deter further advances by Syrian Kurds allied with Turkish separatists. Are the U.S. and Turkey trying to create an enclave under the leadership of the opposition? “We have told him that this is not a problem for us…”
“Let our soldiers come together”.
From the third day of the operation (26 August) onwards, the attacks have been directed at Kurdish Forces, the Jarablus Military Council and the Minbij Military Council. Turkey and its Syrian rebel allies say it has not.
Turkish officials have been keen to see Syrian Arabs, whom they say are the native population of the area to return and scupper PYD attempts of enacting demographic changes in the region. The US had been discussing a cross-border operation with Ankara since 2015, but, uninformed of the impending assault, the embassy as well as Biden were taken by surprise when the Turks actually moved into Syria. Once relations improved between Turkey and Russian Federation, and following a July coup attempt failed to remove President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from power, he sent his forces into Syria to battle the extremists, as well as Kurdish fighters who had crossed to the west bank of the Euphrates River against Turkey’s will. Despite official denials, there is a mountain of evidence that Turkey provided weapons, money, and logistical support to Islamists in Syria beginning in 2014.
Joe Biden arrived in Ankara as the attack was beginning, a clear signal that Erdogan considered coordination with its American ally an irrelevancy.
Washington has not yet commented on Erdogan’s comments. -Turkish deal concerning the liberation of Raqqa, the capital of ISIS in Syria, and Moscow said it was anxious from the Turkish move.
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On 7 September, UK foreign minister Boris Johnson and the High Negotiations Committee of the Syrian Opposition (HNC) and other foreign ministers from across the world meet in London.
