Turkey says Afrin offensive to end by May

2018-03-08 06:21:54

(MENAFN) Turkey has said that the country's offensive on Afrin will be finished by May, CNN Turk reported Thursday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said that Turkey and Iraq would launch a joint cross-border operation against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group and it may begin after May 12.

"[We] will carry out a joint operation against the PKK together with the Iraqi government. The cross-border operation may take place after the election in Iraq on May 12," Cavusoglu was quoted as saying by the NTV broadcaster.

Ankara, since January 20th, has launched a large-scale military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in Afrin. The attack has so far resulted in scores of civilian casualties and displacement of thousands.

Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has fought a three-decade insurgency in Turkey and is deemed a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union and Turkey. The YPG has been an important ally for the United States in the fight against Islamic State.

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