Erdogan: Turkey to Continue Counterterror Operations in Syria, Iraq

The Turkish troops will proceed with counterterrorism operations in Syrian and Iraqi regions bordering Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday.

“The operations of the Turkish army in Jarabulus, Al Bab and Afrin will be carried out in other Syrian regions, up to the Iraqi border. They will also be carried out in [Iraq’s] Sinjar and Makhmur. We will eliminate the terrorist threat coming from the territory of Syria and Iraq. We will not let terrorists to control zones near our southern borders,” Erdogan said at the Justice and Development Party’s congress.

Turkish troops, in cooperation with several Syrian opposition groups, participated in a number of military operations in Syria, mostly against Kurdish militants, such as the Euphrates Shield and the Olive Branch operation in Afrin.

Damascus has condemned Ankara’s military operations, saying they violate the Syrian sovereignty.

The Turkish forces are also involved in anti-Kurdish raids in northern Iraq.

Sputnik