In a statement on Friday, the Turkish military said one of its tanks was hit by ISIS fighters around 12:20 local time, near the Syrian town of Tel el-Hawa.
Advertisement
The Turkish military launched the cross-border Operation Euphrates Shield on August 24 along with the US-led coalition in Syria’s northern border city of Jarablus to clear the area from the IS. It blocked Kurdish militias from taking the same area to unite their two semi-autonomous enclaves along the border with Turkey, which is fighting its own internal war with Kurdish militias, which it sees as inseparable from those in Syria.
Fikri Isik said once Operation Euphrates Shield had removed terrorists from the frontier area, refugees would be able to return to the area.
Four days later, the Turkish army suffered its first fatality in northern Syria, in a rocket attack blamed on Kurdish militia.
Last week, ISIL fighters were expelled from their last positions along the Turkish-Syrian border, depriving the group of a key crossing point for recruits and supplies.
Cavusoglu pointed out that Raqqa is the main stronghold of the “Islamic State” (IS, aka ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) terrorist group in Syria.
Erdogan said the original residents of Jarabulus and al-Rai have already begun to return from Turkey.
Carter acknowledged Turkish concerns but said US policy in both Syria and Iraq was for local populations to rule cities and towns after Islamic State’s defeat.
Tensions between Turkey and Syrian Kurds have increased since Turkish-backed Syrian rebels not affiliated with the YPG entered the border town of Jarablus in late August, pushing back IS fighters and preventing further expansion of the USA -backed militias.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights conflict monitor had reported this was the case as had media close to the YPG itself, which claimed on Wednesday that the Turkish Army opened fire on civilians who tried to help wounded YPG fighters.
Advertisement
His comments came after two volatile weeks around the Syrian-Turkish border.
