Moscow – Turkey says it will expand the safe zone in Syria’s northeast if need arises.Its President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday while addressing a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party in Ankara.“If there is a need, we are going to extend our safe zone,” Erdogan said.
On Oct. 9, Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring in northeastern Syria to clear the area of Kurdish units and the Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia).The U.S. and Turkey agreed on Oct. 17 on a 120-hour ceasefire in the area to allow the withdrawal of the Kurdish fighters.
As the five-day ceasefire came to an end, Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin reached a deal late on Oct. 22 to pull the Kurdish fighters back and establish joint patrols in the operation zone in northeastern Syria along the Turkish border.
