Turkey, US agree on clearing Syrian regions of PKK

By Cansu Dikme and Nilay Kar

ANKARA (AA) – Turkey’s foreign minister on Friday said Turkey and the US agree that after the northern city of Manbij, other Syrian regions will be rid of PKK/YPG terrorists.

Speaking at Anadolu Agency’s Editors' Desk, Mevlut Cavusoglu said: “There is a clear consensus [with the U.S.] on our roadmap that we will move on to other areas after Manbij [has been cleared of PKK/YPG terrorists].

The roadmap was announced last month after a meeting in Washington between Cavusoglu and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The deal focuses on the withdrawal of the PKK-affiliated YPG terror group from Manbij and stability in the region.

Speaking on the Turkish army patrols in the northern Syrian city of Manbij, Cavusoglu said the YPG/PKK’s withdrawal from patrol areas in Manbij does not mean they have completely withdrawn.

On Wednesday, the Turkish military completed its ninth round of patrols in Manbij as part of a deal with the U.S. to rid the area of the terror group YPG/PKK.

On its Twitter account, the Turkish General Staff said that both countries' forces conducted separate coordinated patrols in the area between Manbij and the area previously cleared by Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield.

The first patrols by Turkish and U.S. troops in the region began on June 18.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK has taken some 40,000 lives, including those of women and children. The YPG/PKK is its Syrian branch.