‘Turkey Plan for Syria Incursion in the Works for Over 2 Years’
ANKARA (Press TV) – Turkey’s ground incursion into northern Syria, which Ankara claims is mainly aimed at fighting ISIL, had been in the making for over two years, a Turkish official has said.
The so-called Operation Euphrates Shield began on Wednesday featuring Turkish warplanes and special ground forces to rid the border area of ISIL terrorists and Kurdish forces, according to Ankara.
On Friday, Turkey sent four more tanks across the border into the Syrian city of Jarabulus where the sound of explosions rang out.
The offensive was launched in coordination with the U.S., which has been purportedly fighting the Takfiri terror group since 2014.
The Turkish government had "been working on a ground incursion for more than two years” which was "delayed” by several factors, the official told the French news agency AFP on Thursday.
Ankara had discussed the intervention plan with the U.S. last June, according to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The official said the U.S.-backed operation had also been delayed by elements in the Turkish army who staged a failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government on July 15.
Also hindering the operation, the source said, was the souring of Russo-Turkish relations after Ankara’s military downed Moscow’s jet over Syria last year.
The risk of a further confrontation with Moscow put an end to all Turkish air operations over Syria that would have been essential for any ground operation, the official said.
"It became practically impossible to implement our plans due to a lack of air cover.”
Erdogan, however, recently met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow, and called for a "clean slate” in the bilateral ties.
Turkish troops ostensibly hunting ISIL terrorists stand accused of helping Takfiri groups, giving them free passage into Syria and out of the Arab country.
On Thursday, Turkey shelled Kurdish militia fighters in Syria on the second day of its incursion and sent a fresh contingent of tanks into the Syrian territory.
Hundreds of Syrian terrorists, backed by Turkish tanks, war planes and special forces, took the Syrian town of Jarabulus on Thursday.
The so-called Operation Euphrates Shield began on Wednesday featuring Turkish warplanes and special ground forces to rid the border area of ISIL terrorists and Kurdish forces, according to Ankara.
On Friday, Turkey sent four more tanks across the border into the Syrian city of Jarabulus where the sound of explosions rang out.
The offensive was launched in coordination with the U.S., which has been purportedly fighting the Takfiri terror group since 2014.
The Turkish government had "been working on a ground incursion for more than two years” which was "delayed” by several factors, the official told the French news agency AFP on Thursday.
Ankara had discussed the intervention plan with the U.S. last June, according to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The official said the U.S.-backed operation had also been delayed by elements in the Turkish army who staged a failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government on July 15.
Also hindering the operation, the source said, was the souring of Russo-Turkish relations after Ankara’s military downed Moscow’s jet over Syria last year.
The risk of a further confrontation with Moscow put an end to all Turkish air operations over Syria that would have been essential for any ground operation, the official said.
"It became practically impossible to implement our plans due to a lack of air cover.”
Erdogan, however, recently met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow, and called for a "clean slate” in the bilateral ties.
Turkish troops ostensibly hunting ISIL terrorists stand accused of helping Takfiri groups, giving them free passage into Syria and out of the Arab country.
On Thursday, Turkey shelled Kurdish militia fighters in Syria on the second day of its incursion and sent a fresh contingent of tanks into the Syrian territory.
Hundreds of Syrian terrorists, backed by Turkish tanks, war planes and special forces, took the Syrian town of Jarabulus on Thursday.