Heads of Turkish ,U.S. militaries meet in Ankara

By Azernews

By Gunay Hasanova

Turkish and American military chiefs discussed the ongoing fight against Daesh in Iraq’s Mosul and the latest situation in Syria’s Raqqa in Ankara on November 6, Anadolu Agency reported.

U.S. General Joseph Dunford met Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar at the Turkish military headquarters in the capital.

The meeting between Dunford and Akar addressed a range of issues, according to the message.

"We have had an exchange of ideas on driving the PYD/YPG terror organization out of Syrian city of Manbij, the latest situation in Daesh’s stronghold in Syria- Raqqa, Mosul operation and the activities of PYD/YPG group in Syria and Iraq, as well as, discussing the mutual fight against Daesh in Iraq and Syria, especially in Al Bab and Raqqa," the statement said.

The importance of protecting the territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria and carrying out mutual anti-terror operations were emphasized once again.

Turkey also expressed concerns over a sectarian attitude towards the predominantly Sunni population in Mosul.

Recently, it was reported that the Iraqi army for the first time since the start of operations to liberate Mosul has managed to enter the areas located in the Northern part of the city

An operation of Iraqi government troops to regain control over Mosul began on October 17. In addition to Iraqi government forces, the operation involves local Peshmerga militia (Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq). The attack is supported by the international Anti-Terrorism Coalition’s Air Force.

Another key agenda point during the meeting, according to the statement, was Turkey's concern about the ongoing activities of the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in the U.S..

Led by Fethullah Gulen, FETO is accused of organizing the defeated military coup as well as a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

Earlier, the Turkish Ministry of Justice officially requested the U.S. to arrest Fethullah Gulen. In addition, the Turkish authorities sent two requests to the U.S. for Gulen’s extradition.

Prior to that, the Istanbul Court released an order to arrest Gulen.