Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the deadline for establishing a joint “safe zone” with the United States in northern Syria had expired, bringing the possibility of a cross-border offensive closer.
In a speech during the opening of the third legislative session of the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Erdogan said “unfortunately, east of the Euphrates, we haven’t reached any results with our allies, and thus Turkey will not waste any moment.”
He went on saying that “about two million Syrian refugees would be settled in the safe zone, and our plans and projects are ready, and we have shared them with leaders in the latest UN meeting,” he continued.
Erdogan also added that he wanted to include Manbij in the western Euphrates region and set up the zone along 480 km border, reaching 30 km inside Syria.