In northern Syria, Washington and Moscow ask Turkey to show restraint

Washington and Moscow have urged Ankara to exercise restraint after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to launch a ground operation against Kurdish militant positions in northern Syria. Since May, Erdogan has threatened to launch another attack on the neighboring country, but Turkey launched airstrikes a week after it accused the PKK, based in northern Iraq, and Kurdish units in Syria of being behind the Istanbul attack. an explosion that killed six people and injured 81. But the two groups denied this, and the Turkish Defense Ministry announced on Sunday the launch of a claw-sword air operation “in order to suppress terrorist attacks from northern Iraq and Syria, ensure border security, and eliminate terrorism.” at its source. Yesterday, a Turkish march targeted a joint base of the international coalition led by Washington and the Syrian Democratic Forces, two members of which were killed, according to a spokesman for the forces and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Turkish president’s statements have raised concerns in Washington and Moscow, prompting them to urge Ankara to exercise restraint. “We are calling for a de-escalation in Syria to protect civilians and support the common goal of defeating ISIS,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said.