Isik on conditions for Turkish troops to leave Syria

Turkish troops will continue their military operation in northern Syria until the opposition Free Syrian Army regains control of the town of Jarablus, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik said.

"Our main goal is to clear Jarablus of the Daesh terrorist group militants. The second goal is to prevent Syrian Kurds from taking control of the area after Daesh clear-out. Jarablus is an important point in both a short and long-term perspective. We have to defend our borders by ourselves as Syria does not have an effective government. And we are within our right to stay in the area until the Free Syrian Army regains control over the situation there," Sputnik cited Isik as saying.