ANKARA (Sputnik) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday condemned the United States' lack of support for Ankara's proposed no-fly zone over Northern Syria.
"I have long spoken about the need to create a safety zone. And I now see that certain countries, which have not supported this idea, are now starting to agree with it <…> I am asking the United States: you did not approve of a no-fly zone, and now there are Russian planes [bombing Syria] and thousands of people are dying there, but it seems that we are a coalition and must act together? So what happened?" Erdogan said during a meeting of the heads of Turkey's local administrations.
On Wednesday, Erdogan stated that a "safe zone," including a no-fly zone, is needed to protect Syrian refugees from terrorists.
Since 2011, Syria has been mired in a civil war with forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting a number of opposition factions and extremist groups, including Islamic State and the Nusra Front, both outlawed in Russia.