Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday his country could take on pockets of Islamist insurgency in northeastern Syria after the US troop pullout
ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th February, 2019) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday his country could take on pockets of Islamist insurgency in northeastern Syria after the US troop pullout.US President Donald Trump has proposed creating a 20-mile security zone along the Turkish border, a plan approved by Erdogan on condition that it would be controlled by Turkey with allies' help.
"Trump's latest initiative has dashed the hopes of those trying to hurt US-Turkish relations. We are ready to fight terrorists in areas that US troops will leave behind," Erdogan said in Ankara.
Speaking before a US-Turkish council, the president called for the swift implementation of the plan and suggested housing displaced people in shipping containers.
Erdogan last year threatened a military operation against the Kurdish-majority Syrian region dominated by YPG militia, who Ankara sees as part of the banned separatist PKK movement. He said he had postponed military action after a phone call with Trump in mid-December.
