Driving Kurdish Militia out of Syria's Manbij Is Turkey's Priority: Deputy PM
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Turkey told the head of the US military, Joseph Dunford, during his visit this weekend that Ankara's priority in Syria is driving the Kurdish YPG militia from the town of Manbij, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Monday.
Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting, Kurtulmus also said that using non-Arab elements to drive Daesh (ISIL) out of its Syrian stronghold of Raqqa would not contribute to peace in the region, Reuters reported.
The US-backed Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), of which the YPG is a major component, said on Sunday it had launched an operation to push the extremists out of Raqqa.