Turkey Should Avoid Country's Troops 'Dragging' in Mideast Crises - Opposition

Turkish authorities should make efforts in order not to stand alone in the ongoing Euphrates Shied Operation against Daesh terrorist group in Syria and not to let the country's troops to be "dragged" into regional conflicts, the leader of the Turkish main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) said Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Thursday, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik said that during the week a total of 16 Turkey's soldiers have been killed during the Euphrates Shied Operation in northern Syria.

"Border security should be secured, there is no doubt in that. However, it is unacceptable to leave Turkish soldiers alone on ground in the battle against Daesh… This is the consequence of failed compromises and wrong foreign policies. Turkish troops should not be dragged into the Middle East’s quagmire," Kemal Kilicdaroglu said, as quoted by the Hurriyet Daily News.

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. As Jarabulus was retaken, the joint forces of Ankara, the coalition and Syrian rebels continued the offensive southwest.