(MENAFN) Turkey will not imperil the lives of its NATO partners during attacks on what it alleges are terrorist hideouts in northern Syria and Iraq, according to the NATO country's defense minister. According to the Pentagon, Ankara has "directly endangered the safety of US servicemen" in Syria, where US forces are unlawfully stationed.
“It is out of the question for us to harm coalition forces or civilians. We have only one target, and that is terrorists,” Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar informed reporters on Friday, as quoted by the Anadolu news agency. He was replying to a question about reports that the Turkish military exploded a US observation post earlier this week.
The Pentagon asserted on Wednesday that Turkish airstrikes “directly threatened” US troops working with “local partners” against the terrorist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). It cautioned that “uncoordinated military actions threaten Iraq’s sovereignty” and advised immediate de-escalation to “ensure the safety and security of personnel on the ground committed to the defeat-ISIS mission.”
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