JAKARTA - Turkey will never harm coalition forces or civil society, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Friday, in connection with Ankara's military offensive in northern Syria endangering the position of US troops.
"We only have one target and it is a terrorist. Wherever terrorists are, it is our target. As Turkey, we have never targeted coalition forces, civilians in northern Syria," Akar said, launching Daily Sabah November 25.
Earlier, the US Department of Defense said Turkish airstrikes in northern Syria threatened the safety of Washington military personnel, endangering years of progress against ISIS.
The public comment represents the United States' strongest condemnation of Turkey's NATO ally air operations in recent days against Kurdish militias in northern Syria to date.
"The recent airstrikes in Syria directly threaten the safety of US personnel working in Syria with local partners to defeat ISIS and maintain prisoners of more than ten thousand ISIS detainees," Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said in a statement.
Ryder said the escalating situation threatens the progress made in the fight against ISIS militants in the region. Nevertheless, he added that the United States acknowledged Turkey's "legitimate security concerns".
"De-escalation is urgently needed to maintain focus on ISIS' defeat mission, ensuring the safety and security of personnel on the ground who are committed to the mission of defeat-ISIS," added Ryder.
The United States has about 900 troops in Syria, particularly in the northeast of the country, working with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by Kurdish fighters from the YPG, to fight against remnants of ISIS. Regarding the potential meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and leader Bashar Assad in Syria, Minister Akar said: "There are many developments in this regard. We are following developments closely."
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