Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Thursday that his country had warned allied countries to withdraw armed groups from their lands and cut off all relations with them “as soon as possible.”
Akar added in statements released by the Anadolu news agency that the United States has asked Ankara to reconsider launching a ground military operation in northern Syria. The Turkish minister indicated that his country asked Washington to “fulfill its obligations.”
In this regard, today, Thursday, the Turkish National Security Council, headed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will hold a meeting at which they will discuss the “fight against terrorism” and possible ground operations in northern Syria.
The sixth and final periodic meeting this year will discuss Turkish airstrikes against Kurdish militants in eastern Syria and northern Iraq.
There will also be multidimensional assessments of a new ground operation in northern Syria. The meeting will also discuss the recent situation with the operations of the Turkish army in northern Iraq, and the Russian-Ukrainian war will be on the agenda.
Strong US opposition
On Wednesday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told his Turkish counterpart that he was “strongly opposed” to a new Turkish military operation in Syria, expressing concern about the escalation of the situation in the country, the Pentagon said in a statement.
And the U.S. Department of Defense said Austin expressed in the phone call his “concern about the escalating situation in northern Syria and Turkey, including recent airstrikes, some of which directly threatened the safety of U.S. personnel working with local partners in Syria. defeat ISIS,” the statement said.
France’s “deep” concerns
France, in turn, expressed its “deep concern” to Ankara over Turkish strikes in Syria and Iraq, which “threaten the progress” made in the fight against ISIS, the Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
French Defense Minister Sebastian Locorno said on Tuesday in a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar that the strikes “lead to an escalation of tensions that threaten stability in the region and the progress made by the international coalition over several years.” in the fight against ISIS,” led by the United States and other countries, reports France. Press.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week confirmed his intention to order a ground offensive “when the time is right.”
Notably, Turkey holds the PKK, whether in northern Syria or Iraq, responsible for carrying out terrorist operations on its territory and endangering its security.
This prompted him in recent years to conduct 3 military operations in northern Syria, as well as to deliver several strikes on the Iraqi border.
