UPDATE - Turkey Delays Syria Military Operation To Avoid US Friendly Fire - Minister

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd December, 2018) Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Friday that a military advance against Kurdish YPG forces in northeastern Syria would be delayed until the US pullout is over.

"We [chose to] delay our operation to avoid friendly fire after the US announced troop withdrawal from Syria," Cavusoglu said during a visit to Malta, as quoted by the TRT channel.

He added that the Turkish-American working group would meet to discuss the US withdrawal from Syria in January.

"In Washington, on January 8, we will hold a meeting of the working group and discuss the withdrawal of US troops from Syria," Cavusoglu said.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he had decided to put off the onslaught after a phone call last Friday with his US counterpart, Donald Trump.

The surprise withdrawal of 2,000 US troops from Syria was announced on Wednesday after Trump said that the objective to defeat the Islamic State terror group (banned in Russia) had been achieved.

Ties between Washington and Ankara have been strained over US support of Syrian Kurdish fighters who Turkey regards as part of the outlawed separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party.