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Majority of Turkish Airstrikes Have Avoided Daesh Targets

© AFP 2023 / MANDEL NGAN US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter - Sputnik International
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US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said that the United States wants to see Turkey go after "the facilitators, the enablers, the other tentacles of ISIL that intrude into Turkey."

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Turkish airstrikes have been primarily targeting the Kurdish fighters in Syria and not the Islamic State (IS or ISIL or Daesh) terrorists, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter told the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

"Most of their air operations are not directed at ISIL, they are directed at the PKK [Kurdish Worker's Party], which we understand their concern about…but we would like to see them do more against ISIL," Carter stated.

Kurdish peshmerga forces prepare their positions on the front line for battle against Islamic State group positions in northern Iraq. - Sputnik International
Kurds Say US Troops Engaged in Covert Ground War With ISIL for Months
The Pentagon has been critical of the limited Turkish engagement in the fight against the ISIL, especially Ankara’s reluctance to control its border with Syria.

The United States wants to see Turkey go after "the facilitators, the enablers, the other tentacles of ISIL that intrude into Turkey," Carter said.

Earlier on Tuesday, US President Barack Obama said that despite some progress made in sealing off Syria-Turkey border some gaps still remain.

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