BEIRUT, LEBANON (8:40 A.M.) – Turkey is no longer considering a military operation to capture the city of Raqqa from the Islamic State, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told journalists in Munich on Sunday.
“The United States, Turkey along with local forces, civilian forces, the FSA [Free Syrian Army] and other militias… they are at the forefront while we are at the back,” Yıldırım told reporters at the conference he is attending in Germany.
Yildirim’s statement to journalists comes just one week after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed his armed forces would go to Al-Raqqa after their Al-Bab operations.
While the Turkish Army will not go to Al-Raqqa, they will continue to provide assistance to the rebel forces participating in the upcoming offensive, Yildirim added.
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