Turkey’s military operation in northern Syria will target the town of Manbij, recently liberated from the so-called ‘Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’ (ISIL) terrorist group by Kurdish-led forces, as well as the terrorists’ stronghold of Raqqa, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.

Gunmen in Syria, backed by Turkish warplanes, tanks and artillery, launched an operation dubbed “Euphrates Shield” in August to allegedly push ISIL and Kurdish forces away from the border area of northern Syria.

In a speech in Ankara broadcast live, Erdogan said he had informed US President Barack Obama about his plans for the operation in a telephone call on Wednesday. Before Manbij and Raqqa, the operation will target the town of al-Bab, he said, as he clearly ignores the international norms regarding the sovereignty of Syria.

Turkey has been angered at Washington’s support for the Kurdish YPG forces in its battle against Islamic State in Syria. A top US military commander said on Wednesday YPG fighters will be included in the force to isolate Raqqa. Arab forces, and not Kurdish ones, are expected to be the ones to take the city itself, US officials say.

Turkish defence minister Fikri Isik told state broadcaster TRT on Thursday that his country had asked the United States not to allow the YPG to enter Raqqa, saying it was ready to provide the necessary military support to take over the town.

Erdogan also said that the Iraqi region of Sinjar, west of Mosul, was on its way to becoming a new base for Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants and that Turkey would not allow this to happen.

Earlier this week, Iraqi army and Popular Mobilization Forces have warned Turkey of any potential military intervention in Iraq, stating that it will be met “decisively and with force.”

Source: Agencies