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Turkey will continue operation in Syria despite possible sanctions — Erdogan

On October 9, Ankara launched its Peace Spring military operation in northern Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Mikhail Metzel/TASS

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

© Mikhail Metzel/TASS

ANKARA, October 15. /TASS/. Ankara is not concerned about possible sanctions and will continue Operation Peace Spring in Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday after his trip to Azerbaijan.

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"Our aim is clear, and we do not worry about possible sanctions. Self-Defense Forces [in Syria] are losing their positions very fast. Our task is to push terrorists to the distance of 32 km away from our border [into Syria]," TRT TV channel quoted Erdogan as saying.

The Turkish president added that Ankara "continues to hold talks with Russia and the US about Syrian cities of Manbij and Kobani."

"I don't consider it to be a negative development that Syrian government forces entered Manbij. Why? Because it is their territory in the end," the Hurriyet newspaper quoted Erdogan as saying.

It is necessary "to clear Manbij of terrorists," he added. "I told [Russian President Vladimir] Putin this. If you clear Manbij of terrorist organizations, then go ahead and ensure your logistics either by yourself or with [Syrian government] forces. If you cannot do this, then local tribes may ask us to come and save them, since Manbij is 85-90% populated by Arabs, not by Kurds," he noted.

On October 9, Ankara launched its Peace Spring military operation in northern Syria. The operation is geared toward establishing a buffer zone in Syria’s northern regions, along the Turkish border, where Syrian refugees could return from Turkey. Syria’s SANA news agency slammed Ankara’s operation as an act of aggression. The international community has condemned Ankara’s actions.

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