Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that Ankara is not waiting for “permission” from the United States to launch a new military operation in Syria, Turkish media reported on Sunday.
“It is impossible to fight terrorism by getting permission from anyone,” Erdogan told reporters after returning from a visit to Azerbaijan, according to the official Anadolu news agency.
In response to a question about the American warning about the consequences of starting a new military campaign in Syria, the Turkish president said: “If the United States does not contribute to the fight against terrorism, what will we do? We will take care of ourselves,” the agency said in a statement.
On Tuesday, the United States, through State Department spokesman Ned Price, expressed “serious concern” over Erdogan’s announcement on Monday that his country would soon launch a new military operation in northern Syria to establish a “safe zone” 30 kilometers deep along its border with its southern neighbor. .
“We condemn any escalation and support maintaining the current ceasefire lines,” a State Department spokesman said.
