Turkey intends to launch a military operation in the north-east of Syria in coming days, the Turkish president said, adding that this step will facilitate political solution for the region.
"The time has come to carry out our intention to neutralize terrorists in the east of the Euphrates. In the coming days, an operation will be launched there. The United States has been informed. We decisively want to bring peace and tranquility to civilians in the east of the Euphrates, as we have already done in other regions of Syria," the president said.
READ MORE: Turkish General Explains Why Ankara's Op East of the Euphrates is 'Inevitable'
Earlier, the Turkish Security Council stated that the main threat to the political settlement in Syria is coming from the Kurdish-held territories in the country’s northeast.
“During the meeting [its participants] pointed out that the main threat to the political settlement in Syria is coming from the [Kurdish] terrorist structure east of the Euphrates River. The fact that some countries do not recognize YPG [People's Protection Units] as a terror organization is damaging the global fight against terrorism,” the Security Council said in a statement.
Turkey has been claiming that the YPG's presence near its border hampers its national security. Earlier this year, it conducted an offensive against the Kurdish militia in Syria's northern border city of Afrin. Ankara is also currently engaged in an operation to eliminate Kurdish strongholds in northern Iraq.
