Turkish PM: Turkey's Euphrates Shield operation in Syria complete
Iran Press TV
Wed Mar 29, 2017 8:58PM
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has announced the end of the country's Euphrates Shield operation on Syrian soil.
Yildirim made the announcement during a televised interview on Wednesday, stressing that the operation had been "successful" and that any further military measures in Syria would by conducted under a different name.
He refrained from elaborating on whether Turkish forces would be withdrawn from northern Syria.
"From now on if there is anything that threatens our security, either Daesh or any other (group), and if we take another action, that will be a new operation," he added.
His announcement was made following a Turkish National Security Council (NSC) meeting chaired by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"It was noted that Operation 'Euphrates Shield' which was started with the goal of ensuring national security, preventing the threat from Daesh and return of Syrian refugees to their homes has successfully completed," read an NSC statement.
The development comes a day ahead a visit to Turkey by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who is set to meet with Erdogan on Thursday.
In August 2016, Turkey began the major military intervention in Syria, sending tanks and warplanes across the border. Ankara claimed that its military campaign was aimed at pushing Daesh from Turkey's border with Syria and stopping the advance of Kurdish forces, but Damascus denounced the operation as a breach of its sovereignty.
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