JAKARTA - United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressed his opposition to Turkey's new military operation in Syria, concerned about the development of the situation in the region, while speaking with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, the Pentagon said.
On the occasion, Secretary Austin also expressed his condolences for the November 13 attack on Istanbul, the Pentagon said.
"He also expressed concern over the increasing actions in northern Syria and Turkey, including recent airstrikes, some of which directly threaten the safety of US personnel working with local partners in Syria to defeat ISIS," the Pentagon said in a statement.
"Minister Austin called for de-escalation, and shared the Department's strong opposition to the new Turkish military operations in Syria," the statement continued.
Turkey is known to have updated its airstrikes in northern Syria, following the deadly bombings in Istanbul, which were accused of being carried out by Kurdish militants in northeastern Syria, citing The National News.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would launch a ground invasion as soon as possible and warned that its airstrike against Kurdish was only the beginning.
On Tuesday, a US official told The National that Turkey's ground invasion would not solve Ankara's security concerns.
The attack has been reported in the main oil field and the Al Hol camp, which houses thousands of families related to ISIS and is guarded by Kurdish forces.
Previously, Turkey had carried out several military operations against the Syrian Kurdish, claiming the SDF, which controls mostly northeastern Syria, is a branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and a threat to its national security.
His last major operation in 2019 displaced more than 300,000 civilians and led Ankara to control a plot of land in the northeast.
Turkey and its Syrian proxies also control Afrin, in northwestern Syria, and Ankara regularly attack Kurdish positions in neighboring Iraq.
Separately, the head of SDF Mazloum Abdi urged tougher action from Washington, one of its main allies, after Ankara sent troops to its southern border.
Meanwhile, Kurdish officials said anti-ISIS operations had been suspended amid the Turkish attack.
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