Turkey's Çavuşoğlu evokes Turkey's calls for the need of land operation in Syria against Daesh, citing that Daesh has already started to flee cities days after the Euphrates Shield operation began
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said that the Daesh terrorists started to flee the cities only days after the Euphrates Shield operation was initiated by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) aiming to clear the terrorist elements from the north Syrian city of Jarabulus.
"As you see, Daesh has already started to flee the cities. Turkey has repeatedly said that the airstrikes are not enough to stop Daesh," said FM stressing the importance of the land reinforcement.
"If 5-6 countries had cooperated against Daesh, the terrorists organization would have already been swept from the region," Turkish FM said in remarks made during a joint press conference with his Dutch counterpart Bert Koenders in Ankara.
The Turkish FM also said that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)-affiliated People's Protection Units (YPG) terrorists have been conducting ethnic cleansing, forcing even Kurdish people to immigrate. “YPG terrorists will be targeted until it moves east of Euphrates," the FM added.
The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and air forces of the U.S.-led anti-Daesh coalition initiated the operation named "Euphrates Shield" against the terror group on Wednesday, August 24.
The operation is on its sixth day as more villages are retaken from Daesh and the PYD.
However, despite the U.S. assurance and Turkish officials' repeated warnings to PKK/PYD to vacate west of the Euphrates; the terrorist group is not retreating to the east of Euphrates and continue its attempts to unite Kobane and Afrin by trying to reach Gandura village on Çobanbey direction.
Previously on Sunday, Turkey's military said 25 YPG terrorists were “neutralized" in northern Syria in an airstrike.