Turkey Will Enter Area East of Euphrates, Notified US, Russia

"We entered Afrin, Jarablus, al-Bab. Now we will enter the (area) East of the Euphrates. We shared this (information) with Russia and the US. As long as harassment fire continues, we cannot remain silent," Erdogan stressed, Daily Sabah reported.

Ankara has been patient for some time, but that "patience has an end", he added.

Turkish military has recently increased its deployment near the Syrian border, including heavy weaponry, armored vehicles and tanks, as it prepares for an imminent offensive against the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) terror group's Syrian branch the People's Protection Units (YPG).

Turkey has long been delaying a possible operation East of the Euphrates to end the presence of US-backed YPG terrorists, which Ankara says pose a grave security threat due to their affiliation with the PKK that is responsible for the deaths of 40,000 in its nearly 40 years of terror against the state.

Monthslong talks between Turkey and the US regarding a safe zone in Northern Syria have failed to bear fruit. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated if the planned safe zone is not established and threats to Turkey continue, an operation will be launched East of the Euphrates River to oust the YPG from the region.

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