Turkish forces will withdraw from the Syrian border region of Afrin, leaving it to its “real owners”, once it has been cleared of “terrorists”, Turkey said on Monday.

“We are not permanent there (in Afrin) and we are certainly not invaders. Our goal is to hand the region back to its real owners after clearing it of terrorists,” Bekir Bozdag, Turkish deputy prime minister, told reporters.

Bozdag said Turkey now aimed to form similar governance systems in the Afrin region, without elaborating.

Source: Agencies