28 October 2016, 18:52 GMT
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On August 24, Turkish forces, backed by US-led coalition aircraft, began a military operation dubbed the Euphrates Shield to clear the Syrian border town of Jarabulus and the surrounding area of Daesh terrorist group. When Jarabulus was retaken, the joint forces of Turkey, the coalition and Syrian rebels continued the offensive southwest.
The operation has been widely criticized both by the Syrian Kurds and Damascus, who have accused Ankara of violating Syria's territorial integrity.
"So far, about 1,800 square kilometers, from Jarabulus to Azaz, and south to Azaz, and up to the al-Bab region has been completely cleared of terrorists," Kalin said, as quoted by the Anadolu news agency.
He also expressed concern over the situation in Aleppo.
