Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has expressed Turkey's determination to clear Manbij from the Democratic Union Party (PYD) terrorists, who are affiliated with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
"Turkey's military operations in Syria aim to secure the control of the towns of al-Bab and Manbij, but are not intended to stretch to the city of Aleppo," Erdoğan said in his speech in the Turkish capital Ankara.
"Let's make a joint fight against terrorist organizations. But Aleppo belongs to the people of Aleppo, we must explain this ... making calculations over Aleppo would not be right," Erdoğan explained.
Erdoğan also said that he called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, adding he offered him to do everything they can together to stop the violence in Aleppo.
The Turkish President also said that Turkey's existence in Syria and Iraq is crucial for the new security perception of the country.
"We cannot stay immobile against the terrorist groups. A suicide bombing killed 56 people in Gaziantep province. We cannot let these kind of incidents happen," Erdoğan said.
Turkey is fighting against some other terrorist groups such as the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) and Daesh, PKK and its affiliated groups.
Turkish officials say Turkey's role in the ongoing operations in Syria and Iraq is crucial both for the internal security of Turkey and the security of the region.
