Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan greets people during the official inauguration of the Cologne Central Mosque in Cologne, Germany, September 29, 2018. (Reuters photo)
ANKARA, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signaled on Monday a potentially new military offensive in neighboring Syria against a Kurdish faction, aiming to secure control of the northern region east of the Euphrates River.
Speaking at the opening of the parliament in Ankara, Erdogan said that Turkey would act against the People's Protection Units (YPG) militia, the Syrian affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is designated by Turkey, the United States and EU as a terrorist organization.
"Our target is to provide safety in Manbij city and east of the Euphrates by completely clearing the areas of the terror group," noted the Turkish leader, adding "it's out of the question for us to sit back and watch the developments in Syria."
Erdogan's comment followed an agreement with Russia to freeze plans for a Syrian regime assault on the last major rebel stronghold of Idlib province.
Moscow and Ankara agreed last month to set up a buffer zone in Idlib that is to be cleared of extremists before an Oct. 15 deadline, as stipulated by the Turkish-Russian deal, preventing a major influx of refugees towards Turkey.
