US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has called on Turkey to remain focused on fighting Daesh terrorists in Syria, following Ankara’s military action in Syria.
According to a Pentagon statement, Mattis made the request during a meeting with Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Brussels on Wednesday, ahead of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s visit to Turkey.
“(Mattis) called for a renewed focus on the campaign to defeat ISIS, and to preventing any vestige of the terrorist organization from reconstituting in Syria,” the statement said, using an acronym for the terrorist group.
Tillerson is scheduled to arrive in Turkey on Thursday for a two-day visit.
Turkey last month launched a military incursion into Syria’s northwestern region of Afrin to counter Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militants.
NATO member Turkey last month launched “Operation Olive Branch,” a new air and ground operation…