Turkey announces kickoff of Peace Spring Operation in NE Syria

“The Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Syrian National Army, just launched #OperationPeaceSpring against PKK/YPG and Daesh terrorists in northern Syria,” Erdogan said on Twitter.

“Our mission is to prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border, and to bring peace to the area,” he added.

Erdogan said the operation will neutralize terror threats against Turkey and lead to the establishment of a safe zone that will facilitate return of Syrian refugees to their homes, Anadolu Agency indicated.

“We will preserve Syria’s territorial integrity and liberate local communities from terrorists,” Erdogan said.

Turkey has launched Operation Peace Spring east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria to secure its borders by eliminating terrorist elements to ensure the safe return of Syrian refugees and Syria’s territorial integrity, according to Anadolu Agency.

Turkey has said the terrorist group PKK and its extension the YPG/PYD constitute the biggest threat to Syria’s future, jeopardizing the country’s territorial integrity and unitary structure, Anadolu Agency said.

Turkey has also stressed that supporting terrorists under the pretext of fighting Daesh is unacceptable, it reported.