“The attack on Afrin confirms that Turkey’s intervention in Syria is mainly aimed at fighting the Kurds”.
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Erdogan’s comments on Raqqa were published in Turkish media, but there has been no confirmation from the US. Ankara has pressed on carving out territory with its Syrian rebel allies despite a lack of global support.
Isik also said that YPG fighters had still not retreated east of the Euphrates river as promised after a USA -backed operation to take the Syrian town of Manbij from Islamic State.
Turkey joined the ground war in northern Syria in July and two weeks ago troops moved over the border for an assault on the IS-held city of Jarablus.
Ankara’s tactics have been criticized by its North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally the USA and also by Russian Federation, with which it recently remedied ties.
At least four Turkish airstrikes were carried out today against targets in northern Syria, described as ISIS “quarters” in four regions in northern Syria.
Moscow urged Ankara to refrain from taking steps that could “further destabilise” the Arab country.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday disclosed that he and the United States are ready to drive ISIS from its Syrian stronghold of Raqqa. “We said this wouldn’t be an issue from our standpoint”. I.S. rapidly infiltrated the city, which is strategically located near the Turkish border, and declared a caliphate in 2014.
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday that its Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov would meet in Geneva on Thursday and Friday with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State John Kerry. It has also said it would support any USA initiative to strike Islamic State’s stronghold of Raqqa, further to the southeast.
Erdogan earlier said Obama had floated the idea of such cooperation during meetings at a summit of G20 leaders in China this week, the daily Hurriyet reported.
Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for Erdogan, said Tuesday that the ceasefire could begin with a 48-hour-truce that would then be lengthened and would see both the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and opposition fighters halt fire.
The HNC, an umbrella body representing more than 30 political and military forces, are seeking to wrestle power from al-Assad and unveiled a 25-page plan detailing a transition to democratic and religious pluralism in the country.
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AFAD said it is preparing to create a camp in Syria. “These are the things we lack the most”.
