Turkish Opposition Opposes Raqqa Operation as Not Linked to State Security

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Friday, the US State Department disclosed its intention to carry out an operation to liberate the Syrian Raqqa from Daesh terrorists together with Turkey and coalition partners.

"We are against any participation of Turkey in any operation regarding Raqqa. Because Raqqa is far away from Turkey and in fact it is not directly affecting Turkish security along our border … Raqqa is not our priority nor is our task to send our troops 220 kilometers [136 miles] away from the Turkish border," Yilmaz said.

On February 7, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump held a telephone conversation to discuss counterterrorism and the fight against Daesh. Following the two leaders' talks, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the Turkish troops would target Raqqa as part of Ankara's Euphrates Shield Operation.

The Euphrates Shield Operation by Turkey and the Free Syrian Army started on August 24, 2016. During the operation, the joint forces liberated the Syrian cities of Jarabulus and al-Bab from Daesh.

At present, Daesh controls vast territories of Syria's Raqqa province, including the regional capital itself.