(MENAFN) President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Friday that Turkey is committed to "root out" terrorists no matter where they are or who they consider partners.
His remarks come after Washington complained to Ankara over an attack in Syria that "clearly jeopardized" US forces working with Kurdish fighters.
“No matter who terrorists collude with, Türkiye will always hold them accountable for every drop of blood they shed,” Erdogan stated in a speech at the Istanbul Shipyard. The Turkish leader joined Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for the ceremonial inauguration of the ‘PNS Khaibar’, one of the four corvettes Islamabad has commissioned from Türkiye.
Erdogan also asserted that “no one can lecture Türkiye, which is the only NATO ally that fought Daesh hand to hand and was victorious,” in reference to the terrorist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS).
“Recent air strikes in Syria directly threatened the safety of US personnel who are working in Syria with local partners to defeat ISIS and maintain custody of more than ten thousand ISIS detainees,” according to Pentagon press secretary Patrick Ryder. He highlighted that sustained escalation endangered the “years-long progress” of the US-led coalition.
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