Erdogan says Turkish forces will not remain in Syria

After completing the Euphrates Shield operation, the Turkish forces will withdraw from Syria, because Ankara wants to live in peace with 'Syrian brothers', the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

According to him, Turkey-backed forces will move toward the northern Syrian town of Manbij after completing their operation in al-Bab as originally planned.

He said the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia - which Turkey regards as a terrorist organization - should be moved out to the east of the Euphrates river, Reuters reported.

Erdogan also ruled out any chance of cooperation with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes the Syrian Kurdish militia.