10.9 C
Frankfurt am Main

US defense chief urges Turkey not to launch Syria op

Must read

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar on Wednesday, expressing “strong opposition” to Ankara launching a new operation in Syria, the Pentagon said, Agence France-Presse reported.

Turkey has carried out air strikes against semi-autonomous Kurdish zones in Syria and Iraq since a deadly Ä°stanbul bombing it blames on Kurdish groups, and has threatened to launch an operation on the ground in Syria.

“Secretary Austin called for de-escalation, and shared the [Defense] Department’s strong opposition to a new Turkish military operation in Syria,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

He also offered condolences for those killed in the Ä°stanbul attack, it said.

Austin’s call with Akar came a day after the Pentagon’s press secretary said a Turkish ground incursion into Syria would “severely jeopardize” gains made against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) — operations in which Syrian Kurdish-majority forces played the central role.

Since 2016, Turkey has launched several incursions against Kurdish forces in northern Syria that have allowed it to control areas along the border.

Liked it? Take a second to support Turkish Minute on Patreon!
Become a patron at Patreon!
More News
Latest News