Erdogan: Turkey to target Tal Rifaat in Syria operation

Turkey said the northern Syrian town of Tal Rifaat would be the next target of its cross-border campaign after the capture of Afrin from Syrian Kurdish militia.

"God willing, we will ensure this operation achieves its goal after taking control of Tal Rifaat in a short period of time," the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during the provincial congress of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Trabzon, AFP reported.

On January 20, Ankara launched an air and ground offensive in the enclave of Afrin in Syria to root out the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) there, which Turkey brands a terrorist group, but which is seen by the United States as a key player in the fight against ISIS militants.