ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th October, 2019) Ankara was forced to begin its military operation in northern Syria due to the United States supplying weapons to the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Turkey started Operation Peace Spring against Kurdish fighters as well as the Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia) to neutralize terror threats against Turkey and establish a safe zone. The Syrian government has condemned the Turkish offensive in northern Syria as an act of aggression, and this sentiment has since been echoed by Russia and a number of Arab and Western nations.
"First, the US told [us] to wait and they would withdraw their military. We waited, they did not withdraw [their military]. Then we agreed on joint patrols which turned out to be superficial. At the same time they continued supplying weapons to the YPG. We have tolerated that for a long time and our patience is finally over. We have made the decision based on the situation in the field," Cavusoglu told CNN Turk tv channel.
He noted that the US had no authority over Syrian air space and could not prevent Turkish planes from participating in the operation.
"The US says that no plane will take off without a permission from their coordination center in Qatar. But we are fighting terrorism here ... We notified everyone, not because we need permission, but because we are members of a coalition and to prevent accidents and collisions. It is Syrian territory, the US has no right to issue orders in the Syrian air space and decide who will fly and who will not," Cavusoglu added.
Turkey views Kurdish fighters in Syria to be an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which Ankara considers a terrorist organization.
