Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 29
By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend:
Turkish Armed Forces are fully ready to launch a new operation in northern Syria, said Hulusi Akar, Turkish Minister of National Defence, Trend reports referring to the Turkish media.
According to him, the Turkish Armed Forces will obliterate the terrorists stationed in northern Syria.
“The military operation which Turkey is preparing to launch in northern Syria is not directed against ethnic Kurds, as the main goal of the operation is the elimination of PYD/YPG, the Syrian wing of PKK, and the establishment of a safety zone,” Akar noted.
On Dec. 12, 2018, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Turkish Armed Forces will launch a new military operation in Syria against PYD/YPG. Erdogan claimed there were US soldiers in the detachments of the terrorists in Syria.
Despite that the US promised it would not support PYD/YPG, Washington did not keep its word, said Erdogan.
On Jan. 20, 2018, Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Free Syrian Army, launched the Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria.
On Aug. 24, 2016, the Turkish Armed Forces launched the Operation Euphrates Shield against the "Islamic State", and with the support of the Syrian opposition liberated the border town of Jarablus, as well as Al-Bab in northern Syria.
The security zone in northern Syria consists of an area of 32 kilometers and a length of 460 kilometers along the Syrian-Turkish border. In case of the creation of this zone, it will be divided into two parts, the first part will start from the Iraqi-Syrian border and will be extended to the Syrian city of Qamishli, because the Syrian government forces control this city.
The second part of the security zone will start from Qamishli and will be extended to Jarabulus city, which was liberated from the terrorists of the “Islamic State” (IS) as part of the Operation Euphrates Shield conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces in 2016.
Manbij city, where Turkey had previously intended to conduct new anti-terrorist operations, will not be a part of the security zone.