Turkey to get out of Syria after 'cleansing' border region: Erdogan
Erdogan
Turkey wants to get rid of Islamic State and Kurdish fighters to thwart terrorist attacks in their own country
The troopswill withdraw from Syria once jihadists are defeated in the border region, including Raqqa, Turkish PresidentTayyip Erdogan said on Sunday.
Erdogan insisted that Turkey had no intention of staying in the country once they achieve their aim of "cleansing" Islamic State jihadists and YPG militia fighters.
"The ultimate aim is to cleanse a 5,000-square-km area," the president said before emarking for official trips to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Turkish-backed Syrian rebels are pressing a major offensive on al-Bab, 30 km (20 miles) south of the Turkish border. The advance risks putting them in direct conflict with Syrian government forces who are closing in on the city from the south.
"The ultimate goal is to cleanse a 5,000-square-km area," Erdogan told a news conference before his departure on an official visit to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based war monitor, said rebels backed by heavy Turkish air strikes fought Islamic State north and southwest of al-Bab on Sunday.
)
Dharmendra Pradhan's 1997 paper leak protest surfaces amid calls for resignation
)
He predicted COVID-19 and 2008 economic crisis, was labeled fearmonger. Now he has another dire warning
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Meet top 5 batters with most runs in India vs Zimbabwe T20Is
)
Ukrainian drone wrecks irreplaceable Russian bomber 800km inside the country, satellite images show it halved
)
'Nothing is more important than...': PM Modi announces BIG decision as Delhi student protest grows
)
'Is that a back-up Trump?' Mysterious look-alike standing behind Donald Trump baffles netizens
)
ICC ODI Rankings: Joe Root jumps big, India trio close in on No. 1 spot
)
Sonam Wangchuk says the government has agreed to consider Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation
)
Trump blames AI for viral video of mystery objects thrown from White House window, WH says ‘maintenance’. Who's lying?
)
'George Soros playbook': Understanding the foreign funding network around Sonam Wangchuk
)
'Driven and courageous': Salman Khan backs student protests, urges education system reforms without political interference
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New OTT releases this week (July 20-26, 2026): Musafir Cafe, Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya, 72 Hours- 5 new titles coming on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
IND vs ZIM, 1st T20I: When and where to watch live streaming in India?
)
'What is wrong...': Anna Hazare breaks silence on Sonam Wangchuk's protest, makes an appeal to Centre
)
FIFA 2026 | 'I am truly sorry': Argentina's Enzo Fernandez, who get red card in final, reacts to loss
)
Man with babyish face spends Rs 10 lakh on beard transplant to be taken seriously at work
)
'National mourning in America': Iran's IRGC issues chilling 9/11-style threat to US
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why US fighter jets use seamless bubble canopies compared to Russian jets
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
World's top 7 most liveable cities in 2026 — Check where India and Pakistan stand
)
Employer pays Rs 4.25 lakh for driver's surgery. What he said to the doctor is an even bigger lesson in kindness
)
'Guru is the...': Indian Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan shares message on education amid calls for his resignation
)
Balen Shah's diplomatic U-turn? Nepal PM to hold one-on-one meetings with India, China envoys
)
Did Putin help Iran target CIA bases? US probes Russia's role in Gulf drone strikes
)
Pan Am plane wreckage that remained untraceable for 74 years has finally been found
)
'Don't waste...': CJI Surya Kant breaks silence on Delhi police brutality against protesting students
)
Dharmendra Pradhan's daughter deactivates IG, LinkedIn as protesters demand her father's resignation, target her university page
)
Maharashtra Bandh call on July 23: What all you need to know
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Meet top 5 Indian batters with most T20I runs against Zimbabwe
Turkish forces have advanced into the city from the west in recent days, and now control around 10 percent of the city and all of its western suburbs, the Observatory said.
Syrian government forces and allied militia have also made gains south of al-Bab, near the town of Tadef, since Friday, reaching an area 1.5 km from the city, it said.
Turkey believes recent IS attacks in Turkey, including a New Year's Day shooting in an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people, have been steered from al-Bab and Raqqa, and it regards a clear-out of the towns as a national security priority.
Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said last week that Turkey had presented a detailed plan to oust Islamic State from Raqqa and that strategy discussions with USPresident Donald Trump's administration were under way.
Turkey has repeatedly said it wants to be part of the U.S.-led operation to retake Raqqa, but does not want the YPG, which has been backed by Washington, to be involved.
(WION with inputs from Reuters)