Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announces a joint “task force” between Ankara and Washington to focus on the coordinated withdrawal of US troops from war-torn Syria.
Ankara and Washington are carrying out joint efforts regarding the US withdrawal of troops from Syria, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.
He announced the formation of a joint “task force” between Turkey and the US that will focus on coordination of American pullout from the war-torn country.
“During the US withdrawal (from Syria) there should not be a vacuum that will be filled by terrorists or pro-regime elements,” Cavusoglu said.
Work on a roadmap to rid Manbij, Syria of PKK/YPG terrorists has accelerated, Turkey’s foreign minister said on Wednesday.
“The YPG is still in Manbij, they haven’t left yet. They have to be taken out,” Cavusoglu said adding that the US had been responsible for a slowdown in the roadmap.
He said Ankara and Washington would not have experienced tensions if the Manbij deal had been implemented earlier. Despite the progress, however, Cavusoglu said the roadmap “must be fully and immediately implemented”.