In a message, the State Department criticized Ankara's plans to deploy a military operation in northern Syria. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that his country will "soon" launch new military operations along its southern border with the aim of creating security zones 30 kilometers deep to counter "terrorist threats" from those areas.
"We expect Turkey to abide by the 2019 Joint Statement that includes a cessation of offensive operations in northeastern Syria," State Department spokesman Ned Price said during a briefing.
"The US acknowledged Turkey's security concerns along its southern border," the State Department spokesman also stressed.
"Any offensive action would undermine regional stability and endanger US forces in their fight against ISIS," he added.
Price stressed that the US condemns any escalation in the region and that all sides must respect ceasefire zones.
Turkey launches military operations in Syria
It will be recalled that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had announced after the cabinet meeting that his country would "soon" launch new military operations along its southern border to create security zones 30 kilometers deep to counter "terrorist threats" from these areas.
"The main target of these operations will be the areas that are the centers of attacks in our country and the security zones," Erdogan had said, without giving further details.
According to the Turkish president, the operations will begin as soon as the military forces and intelligence and security services complete their preparations.
Source: protothema.gr
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