Turkish Defense Minister: Peace Spring Operation Aims to Return Syrians Home
Arab World
Ankara - Saeed Abdul Razek
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Turkey aimed through its Operation Peace Spring to create a peace corridor in northern Syria while enabling Syrians to return to their home soil safely and voluntarily. Operations Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch and Peace Spring were launched to eliminate “terrorist organizations” from northern Syria to secure Turkey's borders, he said. Akar also underlined that the latest operation was conducted under international law and the Adana agreement signed between Turkey and Syria in 1998. The minister reiterated that Turkey respects the integrity of Syrian territories and is keen on avoiding harming civilians and damaging historic sites during the military operations. "Important steps have been taken in Idlib for our region to gain stability, safety and peace, while possible humanitarian tragedies have been prevented," Akar said, adding that efforts within the Astana process and Sochi deal are ongoing. Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring on October 9 in order to push the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) away from its border. Ankara accuses the YPG, which spearheaded the US-led war against ISIS, of links with Kurdish PKK separatists in Turkey. It labels both groups as terrorist. Turkey halted its offensive after striking deals with Russia and the United States. While Moscow has said the YPG have withdrawn to at least 30 km (18 miles) from the border, Ankara has been sceptical and held out the possibility of new attacks if members of what it sees as a terrorist group remain. The operation sought to establish a safe zone for around 2 million Syrian refugees.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2061416/turkish-defense-minister-peace-spring-operation-aims-return-syrians-home
No comments:
Post a Comment