Erdogan declared that his country is willing to cooperate with its Western allies, so-long no Kurdish organizations that are backed by the US-led coalition partake in the advance. “Now, it’s time for al-Bab. They say, ‘Don’t go to al-Bab’. We are obliged to, we will go there. We have to prepare a region cleansed from terror. This holds true for Manbij as well.” He added, “If the coalition forces are ready to act together, we will take the necessary steps against Daesh (a commonly used Arabic acronym for Islamic State) in Raqqa as well. But we will not do it together with PYD (Democratic Union Party) or YPG (People’s Protection Units). We will carry this out with the United States and coalition forces. We will not act together with terrorist organizations,” Erdogan said.
Backed by Turkish special forces, tanks and air strikes, a group of rebels fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army crossed into northern Syria in August and took the border town of Jarabulus from the Islamic State, largely unopposed. The Turkish-backed rebels have since extended those gains and now control an area of roughly 1,270 square kilometers, which is equal to some 500 square miles, in northern Syria. While Turkey’s initial focus was on driving the Islamic State from Jarabulus, much of its efforts have been spend on stopping the advance of the US-backed Syrian Kurdish militants, a fact which has caused tension between Washington and Ankara.