UPDATE - 'Prep for operation east of Euphrates going as planned'

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Sarp Ozer and Yildiz Aktas

ANKARA (AA) - Preparations for a counter-terror operation in Syria, east of the Euphrates River, are proceeding as planned, Turkey’s defense minister said on Tuesday.

"Everything has been planned and programmed. Everything is going according to it [the plan], according to the schedule," Akar told reporters ahead of the Justice and Development (AK) Party's parliamentary group meeting in the capital Ankara.

He also said that talks will be held with U.S. officials in the coming days on the roadmap for Manbij, Syria.

"Work on the Manbij roadmap continues intensively," according to the Turkish defense minister.

He said Turkish military officials are in contact with their U.S. counterparts, adding that further information on the roadmap's timetable will be released once it is settled.

Turkey and the U.S. agreed to complete the Manbij roadmap before the U.S. finishes the withdrawal of its troops from Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said earlier Tuesday.

Turkish and U.S. troops began joint patrols in Manbij on Nov. 1 as part of an agreement that focuses on the withdrawal of YPG/PKK terrorists from the city to stabilize the region.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the death of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signaled that a cross-border operation against the terrorist PYD/YPG in Syria will happen soon. Since 2016, Ankara has carried out two similar military operations in northern Syria.

U.S. President Donald Trump last week made the surprise announcement that the U.S. would withdraw its troops from Syria. The decision followed Trump's phone call with Erdogan in which the two leaders agreed on the need for more effective coordination over the civil war-torn country.