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Erdogan says Turkey 'liberated from terrorists' territory of 1,000 sq km in Syria

He also said he expected "support to the anti-terrorism operation from all brotherly nations"
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan  Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
© Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool

BAKU, October 15. /TASS/. Turkey, which is conducting the Peace Spring operation in northern Syria, has "liberated from terrorists" an area of 1,000 square kilometers, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.

"The Peace Spring operation we announced during the 74th United Nations General Assembly proceeds successfully," he said at the 7th summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States, or simply Turkish Council, in the Azerbaijani capital city Baku.

"By now, we have liberated from terrorists a territory of 1,000 square kilometers. We plan to create a security zone from Manbij to the border with Iraq. At the first stage, we will settle one million Syrian refugees there," he said, adding that Ankara planned to settle two million refugees on the liberated territories.

He also said he expected "support to the anti-terrorism operation from all brotherly nations."

On October 9, Ankara launched an offensive in north Syria dubbed Operation Peace Spring, which began with airstrikes on Kurdish units. The objective is to establish a safety zone in northern Syria for protection of the Turkish border. In addition, Syrian refugees could return to that area from Turkey, Ankara believes. Syria’s SANA news agency slammed Ankara’s operation as an act of aggression. The world community has condemned Ankara’s actions.