- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Erdogan: US Presence in Syria's Manbij Aimed Against Turkey, Russia, Iran

© AP Photo / Arab 24 networkThis Tuesday, March 7, 2017 frame grab from video provided by Arab 24 network, shows U.S. forces take up positions on the outskirts of the Syrian town, Manbij, a flashpoint between Turkish troops and allied Syrian fighters and U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters, in al-Asaliyah village, Aleppo province, Syria
This Tuesday, March 7, 2017 frame grab from video provided by Arab 24 network, shows U.S. forces take up positions on the outskirts of the Syrian town, Manbij, a flashpoint between Turkish troops and allied Syrian fighters and U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters, in al-Asaliyah village, Aleppo province, Syria - Sputnik International
Subscribe
In January, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Ankara would not limit its precautionary measures against Kurdish fighters to Syria's Afrin but could move to Manbij, where the US has some 2,000 of its military personnel deployed.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that the United States should leave Syria's Manbij in Aleppo province as Ankara plans to return it "to its true owners." He also added that Washginton had "calculations against Turkey, Iran and maybe Russia" in Syria, claiming that the US military presence there was directed against the aforementioned countries after Daesh’s (ISIS) defeat.

"If the United States says they are sending 5,000 trucks and 2,000 cargo planes with weapons for the fight against Daesh (Islamic State), we don't believe this. It means you have calculations against Turkey and Iran, and maybe Russia," Erdogan told members of his ruling AK Party in parliament.

On February 5, the Pentagon announced that it had seen no indication of Turkey planning to extend its operation to Manbij, which contradicts Turkish officials' previous statements. Both Cavusoglu and Erdogan emphasized that Turkish forces would completely clear the region of terrorists, beginning with Manbij and throughout Turkey-Syria border.

A Turkish military convoy passes through Kafr Halab in the south of Aleppo province on February 5, 2018 - Sputnik International
WATCH Turkish Military Vehicles Enter Syria's Aleppo

Earlier in the day, footage showing a Turkish military convoy arriving in southern Aleppo, closer to the Tahrir al-Sham terrorist organization's stronghold, appeared on the web. Among the 50 vehicles were armored personnel carriers (APCs), fuel tankers, mini-resistant ambush protected vehicles (MRAPs) and military trucks.

READ MORE: Pentagon Sees No Indication of Turkey's Plans to Expand Olive Branch to Manbij

Turkey has been conducting a military operation, codenamed "Olive Branch," in Afrin against Kurdish fighters since January 20 in response to the US announcement of training a 30,000-strong border security force in Syria, which Ankara dismissed as a "terrorist army." Afrin is controlled by the US-backed People's Protection Units (YPG), which is considered by Turkey to be affiliated with the Kurdistan's Workers' Party (PKK), regarded by Ankara as a terrorist organization.

Syria's government has firmly condemned the military operation, calling it a violation of the country's sovereignty, while Turkey stressed that the offensive was not aimed against the government itself, but targeted "only terrorists."

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала