Erdogan Discusses Syria Offensive In Phone Call With Macron

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th October, 2019) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talked about the goals of his offensive in northern Syria, in a phone call on Monday with his French counterpart, Erdogan's administration said.

The stated goal was to drive Syrian Kurds away from the Turkish border and defeat the Islamic State terror group (IS, banned in Russia). Ankara accuses Syrian Kurdish YPG militia of aligning itself with PKK separatists who seek to create a Kurdish state in parts of Turkey.

"President Tayyip Erdogan talked with French President Emmanuel Macron over the phone.

Our president set out objectives of Operation Peace Spring, pointing to the threat to Turkey's security and Syria's territorial integrity from PKK-YPG and IS terrorists," the press release read.

Turkish troops crossed into northeastern Syria last Wednesday in a bid to create a "safe zone" along the border that would be free of Kurdish forces. The Defense Ministry said that the troops captured the cities of Ras al-Ain and Tal Abyad over the weekend.