Syria Belongs to Syrians, Turkey to Give it Back to Its Owners ASAP - Erdogan

The Turkish president’s statement comes after Ankara claimed that it was ready to launch a military operation against the Kurdish YPG militia on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River as well as in other parts of Syria.

Commenting on the upcoming Wednesday meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, President Erdogan stated that he is planning to discuss the creation of a security zone in Syria. He reportedly noted, however, that Ankara would never allow turning "Syria into a swamp" like northern Iraq.

"We will ensure the security of our borders on our own. We will defeat Daesh* ourselves, and I told [US President Donald] Trump: it’s enough if you provide logistical support to us. We will also take Manbij and give it back to its hosts", Erdogan stated.

READ MORE: Turkey is Not Reliable Partner in Syria — Ex-US Envoy to Coalition

Earlier, in December, the Kurdish fighters announced their withdrawal from the Syrian city of Manbij near the Turkish border and called on Damascus to take control of the area in order to protect it in the event of Ankara launching a military operation against the Kurds.

The situation in Syria changed after US President Donald Trump revealed his plans to withdraw troops from the war-torn country, claiming that the American forces had won the fight against the Daesh terror group.

* Daesh (ISIL/ISIS/IS/Islamic State) is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia