The United States is urging Turkey to exercise restraint and ensure that its military offensive into an enclave controlled by US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia is limited in scope and duration.
A statement by State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert also asks Turkey to be “scrupulous to avoid civilian casualties.”
Nauert also says Washington wants all parties to “remain focused on the central goal of defeating” the Islamic State group.
The US support to Syrian Kurdish militia whom Turkey considers to be terrorists has driven a wedge between the two NATO allies. The militia group is the main US ally against the IS in Syria.
Turkey’s military offensive into the northwestern enclave of Afrin launched Saturday, amid anger at a US decision to form a 30,000-strong border security force for Syria.
Nauert said the United States continues to support Turkey’s security concerns.
She adds however: “The United States is very concerned about the situation in northwest Syria, especially the plight of innocent civilians, who are now faced with an escalation in fighting.”
— AP
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From the Liveblog of
Sunday, January 21, 2018
