The U.S. pledged more support to Operation Euphrates Shield late Wednesday as Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Ishik held a meeting with his American counterpart James Mattis in Brussels, DailySabah reported.
The two officials agreed on setting up a dialog mechanism between US and Turkey.
Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield on Aug. 24, 2016, declaring that it was exercising its right of self-defense codified under United Nations Charter Article 51. A National Security Council press release on Nov. 30, 2016 stated that the operation's objectives are to maintain border security and confront Daesh terrorism within the framework of the U.N. Charter. It also emphasized not allowing the PKK terrorist organization, or its Syrian affiliates the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing the People's Protection Units (YPG), to establish a corridor of terror on Turkey's doorstep.