Turkey Should Expand Ground Military in Northern Syria

Turkey should expand its military operation in northern Syria in order to make it effective, former chief of Turkey’s military intelligence Gen. Ismail Hakki Pekin told Sputnik.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On August 24, Turkish forces, backed by US-led coalition aircraft, began a military operation dubbed Euphrates Shield to clear the Syrian border town of Jarabulus and the surrounding area of Daesh terrorists.

Turkey has pledged to continue the operation until the threat allegedly posed by Kurdish militants active in the area is eliminated.

"It has to be a pretty wide area in order to be effective. So the ground operation should be broadened," Pekin stated.

On Thursday, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman John Dorrian told reporters that with support from the US-led military coalition, Turkish forces continue pushing south along northern Syria’s Mara Line, seeking to establish a buffer zone.

"It’s a 100km wide area from Jarablus to Azaz. It should be 45-50 miles deep from Kobani to that area so that they can maintain the unification, so they can maintain those two forces on the ground from ever getting together. And the depth should go all the way to the Al-Bab," Pekin added.

The Daesh is a designated terrorist group that is outlawed in Russia and numerous other countries.

Syria has been mired in civil war since March 2011, with numerous opposition factions and extremist groups fighting the Syrian Army in an attempt to topple the legitimate government of President Bashar Assad.

Turkey, Russia, Syria, Iran Should Form Alliance to End War

Turkey, Russia, Syria and Iran should form an alliance to bring the ongoing conflict in Syria to an end, Gen. Ismail Hakki Pekin also said.

Pekin’s comments come amid disagreements between the United States and Russia over Syria. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Washington was prepared to cut off cooperation with Moscow in Syria unless it persuaded Damascus to stop offensive in Aleppo.

“This [suspension] would definitely negatively impact peace process,” Pekin said. “I think that’s what should happen at this point: Turkey needs to cooperate and communicate with the Syrian regime. Turkey, Syria, Russia, and Iran — maybe if these countries join forces, they may be able to push back US so they can take a setback.”