UNSC Members, Guterres To Address Turkish Offensive On Thursday - Diplomatic Source

The members of the UN Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres plan to discuss the Turkish military action in northern Syria later on Thursday, a diplomatic source told Sputnik

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th October, 2019) The members of the UN Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres plan to discuss the Turkish military action in northern Syria later on Thursday, a diplomatic source told Sputnik.

"Today, the 15 members of the Security Council will hold luncheon with the Secretary-General. One of the issues which will be discussed is the situation in Syria," the source said.

On Wednesday, the council had already convened a meeting to address the Turkish offensive, and following the consultations issued a joint statement raising concerns about the potential dispersion of terrorists and further harm to the humanitarian situation in the region.

On October 9, Turkey launched an offensive in northern Syria to clear the border area of the Kurdish militia Ankara views as a terrorist group.

Syrian government forces have since been dispatched to the north to help the Kurds to take control over a number of settlements in Raqqa and Aleppo provinces. The Russian military police are assisting Damascus in ensuring order in the area.

Though Ankara insists that, among other things, its operation seeks to create conditions for the return of a portion of the some 3.6 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey, the offensive has already displaced at least 160,000 Syrians, according to the United Nations.