NATO chief comments on Turkey's operation in Syria

NATO expects Turkey to show restraint in its military operations in northern Syria, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

"I count on Turkey to show restraint and to ensure that their actions in northern Syria are measured and proportionate and avoid even more human suffering," Stoltenberg said after meeting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens.

"We have to remember that we need to continue to stand together in our common fight against the common enemy, which is ISIS," Reuters cited the NATO chief as saying.

He said a global coalition had made ‘enormous progress’ in the fight against ISIS (the terrorist group banned in Russia), with swathes of territory the size of the United Kingdom being liberated from the group.

On October 9, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the launch of Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria, which began with airstrikes on Kurdish positions.