The temporary ceasefire agreed by Washington and Ankara to halt Turkey's military operation in northern Syria is a vital step toward eliminating terrorists along the Turkish border, the primary aim of the offensive, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th October, 2019) The temporary ceasefire agreed by Washington and Ankara to halt Turkey's military operation in northern Syria is a vital step toward eliminating terrorists along the Turkish border, the Primary aim of the offensive, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said Friday.After lengthy negotiations on Thursday, US Vice President Mike Pence and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed that a 120-hour ceasefire be implemented in northeast Syria to allow the withdrawal of the People's Protection Units (YPG). Under the deal, all military activities under Operation Peace Spring, aimed at clearing the Turkish-Syrian border area of Kurdish-led militia and the Islamic State terror group (banned in Russia), have been put on pause and will be halted completely upon the completion of the YPG's withdrawal.
"With this agreement, Turkey has taken an important step toward achieving the primary goals of the operation rapidly, namely clearing our border from terrorists and establishing a safe zone, thanks to the strong leadership of our President and the success of TAF [Turkish Armed Forces] on the ground," Altun wrote on Twitter.
Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay also called the ceasefire a victory, saying that "with its strength in the field, strategy on the table and our leader's firm stance, Turkey has won," as quoted by the Anadolu news agency.
Turkey began its operation in northern Syria on October 9. In addition to clearing its southern border area of terrorist threats, Turkey also seeks to establish a safe zone where it will be able to resettle the millions of refugees it currently hosts. The offensive was met with criticism from the United States, the European Union and many Arab countries, among others. Damascus has deemed it a violation of Syria's territorial integrity, while Russia, which supports Syria in its fight against terrorism, has emphasized that any escalation of the Syrian conflict should be avoided.
