Erdogan: New operation in Syria may start

By Azernews

By Kamila Aliyeva

Turkey can launch a new military operation in Syria jointly with the Free Syrian Army in case of threat to the national security by the YPG (Kurdish People’s Protection Units), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

Last week, the Turkish president discussed this issue in a telephone talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"As part of the G20 summit, we will once again discuss with President Putin further steps in Syria," Erdogan said, Sabah newspaper reported on July 6.

Earlier, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik talking about the possibility of new military operation in Syria, stated that Turkey is entitled to neutralize any threat from outside.

Nine phone conversations have been conducted between the General Staffs of Turkey and Russia over the past 10 days regarding the start of a new military operation in Syria, Turkish media reported earlier.

The Turkish and Russian sides agreed that if a new military operation of the Turkish Armed Forces begins in the Syrian city of Afrin, the Russian military contingent will have to relocate to another city.

Starting from June 21, Turkey began to pull military equipment to the border with Syria.

Military equipment is concentrated in the Turkish province of Kilis, bordering the Syrian territory controlled by the YPG (Kurdish People’s Protection Units) and PYD (Kurdish Democratic Union Party) forces.

The Turkish Armed Force launched an operation to liberate the city of Jarabulus from the IS militants in northern Syria, near Aleppo on August 24, 2016. The operation was dubbed the Euphrates Shield.

The Turkish-led Euphrates Shield was aimed to improve security, support coalition forces, and eliminate the terror threat along the Turkish border using Free Syrian Army fighters backed by Turkish artillery and jets.

The civil war in Syria between government and opposition with various terrorist groups involved, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), began back in March 2011.

According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.