Erdoğan: Operation into East of Euphrates to Begin in Few Days

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President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a statement at the Turkish Defense Industry Summit in the capital city of Ankara today (December 12).

Addressing the defense industry and Syria in his speech, President Erdoğan announced that an operation will be launched into the east of Euphrates.

Erdoğan said, "Our target is the members of terrorist organization operating in the region. Just like other parts of Syria, which we have made secure, we will also work to make the east of Euphrates secure for its real owners."

Here are some of the highlights from Erdoğan's speech:

"Why are you taking joint action?"

"They are making an effort to build a corridor of terror in northern Syria. We are saying, 'They are terrorists'; however, our strategic partners, especially the US, keep on saying, 'They are not terrorists'.

"These are the sub-branches of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party). Why aren't you taking joint action with us, but, acting in unison with them?

Operation into east of Euphrates

"There is no such threat as ISIS in Syria anymore. This is a fairytale for us. We said and still say that we will begin our operation to save the east of Euphrates from the separatist terrorist organization in a few days.

"It is obvious that the aim of radar and observation points set up by the US in the east of Euphrates is not to protect our country from terrorists, but to protect the terrorists from Turkey. In response to our objections regarding the weapons provided to the Syria branch of the separatist terrorist organization by the US, they said, 'We did not give heavy weaponry'."

Referring to the US as "the strategic ally of Turkey", President Erdoğan also underlined that "the target of the operation to be launched in the region by Turkey is no the US soldiers, but members of the separatist terrorist organization operating in the east of Euphrates." (HA/SD)