News Opinion Reviews Features Publications Multimedia More Espanol / English Middle East Near You Erdogan says Trump positive on Turkish military plan to push east in Syria December 17, 2018 at 9:10 pm | Published in: Asia & Americas , Europe & Russia , Middle East , News , Syria , Turkey , US Turkish President and leader of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets during his party's parliamentary group meeting at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara, Turkey on November 27, 2018 [Mehmet Ali Özcan / Anadolu Agency] December 17, 2018 at 9:10 pm Turkey may start a new military operation in Syria at any moment, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday according to a report by Reuters , touting support from US President Donald Trump even though the Pentagon has issued a stern warning to Ankara.
Last week, the Pentagon said unilateral military action by any party in northeast Syria, where US forces operate, would be unacceptable.
But Erdogan suggested that Trump was more receptive to Turkish plans to move east of the Euphrates river than his own US Department of Defense.
“We officially announced that we will start a military operation to the east of the Euphrates,” Erdogan said in a speech in the central province of Konya. “We discussed this with Mr Trump and he gave a positive response.”
The White House did not respond to requests for comment on Erdogan’s assertion but last Friday acknowledged that Trump and Erdogan spoke about Syria during a telephone conversation.
Turkey and the United States have long been at odds over Syria policy, where Washington has backed the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia against Daesh. Ankara considers the YPG a terrorist organisation tied to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), an outlawed group that has waged a three-decade insurgency in southeast Turkey.
Erdogan said last week that Ankara would launch a new campaign within days against the YPG, although he has yet to give a more definitive timeline.
Read: Turkey says it will not let the US hold it back in Syria
Any new campaign is likely to be complicated by the presence of US soldiers in northern Syria, who have established observation posts along the Turkey-Syria border in a failed effort to assuage Turkish security concerns.
Washington has communicated the positions of those observation posts to Ankara, and warned that American forces will defend themselves if fired upon, officials told Reuters.
The Pentagon on Monday denied reports that it was sending reinforcements to the border, in a sign that it is comfortable with the risk level to US troops even as Ankara heightens the threat of military action.
“We do not have a major military movement of forces to the northeast border with Syria,” said Pentagon spokesman Colonel Rob Manning. “We’ve got nothing more than what is required to continue our mission at those (observation posts).”
Turkey has already intervened to sweep YPG and Daesh militants from territory west of the Euphrates over the past two years. It has not gone east of river, partly to avoid direct confrontation with US forces. The Pentagon says it has about 2,000 troops in Syria.
“We can start our operations on Syrian soil at any time from locations that suit our planning. Our heroic army has completed its preparations and plans. As I always say, we may come suddenly one night,” Erdogan said on Monday.
Erdogan did not elaborate on Trump’s response, but said Turkey would take care to avoid American casualties.
Read: Turkey will keep attacking PKK in Iraq, foreign ministry says
Categories Asia & Americas Europe & Russia Middle East News Syria Turkey US
