WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th July, 2022) The United States conveyed to Turkey at very senior levels not to conduct a military operation in Syria, US Deputy Homeland Security Advisor Joshua Geltzer said on Wednesday.
"The US government has conveyed to the Turkish government at very senior levels that we think the right answer... is no operation," Geltzer said in a panel discussion hosted by the middle East Institute. "This is not how we think countries should operate and we've communicated that in quite senior levels."
Geltzer said such operations will pull away some of the United States' key partners in the region in the fight against the Islamic State terror group (banned in Russia).
Turkish media reported in June that the country's troops were set to start their fifth operation in northern Syria against the Kurdistan Workers' Party and its military wing known by the acronym YPG, both of which are designated by Ankara as terrorist organizations.
Since 2016, Turkey has carried out four counterterrorism operations in Syria. The new operation, initially announced in May, was planned to take place in four areas - near the cities of Tall Rifat, Kobani, Ain Issa and Manbij. However, Turkish media reported that Ankara had decided not to send troops to Kobani and Ain Issa due to opposition from Russia, which has recently sent new reinforcements to the region.
The United States is cooperating with Kurdish militants, having supplied them with thousands of weapon-loaded trucks and carrying out joint military patrols of Syrian areas near the Turkish border, according to reports.
