Turkey To Take All Necessary Steps To Ensure Security, Including On Syrian Border - Akar - UrduPoint

Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar in response to the question about the possibility of a cross-border operation in Syria said that Ankara will take all necessary steps to secure the country's borders.

"We have a mission, a duty. That is, the security of our borders, our citizens. We have so far done everything necessary for it and will continue to do so within the framework of international law, principles," Akar was quoted as saying by the Turkish Anadolu news agency.

Experts told Sputnik earlier that the goal of Turkey's new military operation in Syria could be the expansion of a buffer zone up to the border with Iraq. At the same time, the civilian population of the border areas in the Tell Rifaat region in Syria's Aleppo Governorate have expressed concern that the increased shellings from the Turkish side can be a lead-up to an operation that will force them to flee their homes as was the case with the capture of Afrin in March 2018.