Turkish foreign minister has said on Thursday, Turkey will go ahead with an offensive move against the US-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria if the United States delay its withdrawal of troops from the war-torn country.
According to Aljazeera news reports, foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told NTV television said, “If the [withdrawal] is put off with ridiculous excuses like Turks are massacring Kurds, which do not reflect the reality, we will implement this decision.”
The US and Turkey are at loggerheads over the future of the Kurdish forces after the US President Donald Trump announced last month to withdraw the US troops from Syria.
Ahead of Trump’s move, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to launch operations targeting Kurdish militia, backed by the US, which Turkey consider as a terrorist group.
The US national security advisor John Bolton has recently visited Ankara to coordinate the pullout process. However, Turkish officials had a tense meeting with Bolton.
Also, the US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has said on Wednesday, Turkey has promised to protect Kurdish militants in Syria fighting against Islamic State.
Cavusoglu said Turkey would go ahead with its plan to launch the operation against Kurdish forces.
He said, “We are determined on the field and at the table … We will decide on its timing and we will not receive permission from anyone.”