BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:00 A.M.) – The Turkish military wants to establish the safe zone in northern Syria as soon as possible, the Turkish Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar told journalists in Ankara on Wednesday.
“We are closely following developments in the east of the Euphrates and our army is ready in all aspects,” Akar told the journalists.
According to Akar, Turkey does not want to act alone and maintain the spirit of the NATO alliance.
“Our demand is purely humanitarian, there is a tragedy in Syria. We want people to return to their home in peace and security. This can happen when terrorists are cleared out,” Akar stated, referring to the Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG).
The Turkish Minister of Defense would conclude the Syria topic by referring to his military’s downing of two drones near his country’s border last week.
“The Turkish Air Force strongly defended our airspace,” he said, referring to the last week’s incident, adding “the investigation into determining the nationality of the UAV is underway.”
