Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday Turkey would strike against U.S.-backed Kurdish YPG militia in Manbij if they advanced into the Syrian city and found them present, according to NTV television, Channel NewsAsia reports.
Cavusoglu gave no deadline for any withdrawal of the YPG militia, seen by Ankara as a hostile force allied to PKK Kurdish militants fighting an insurgency on Turkish soil. It considers their presence in Manbij a hindrance to its efforts to create a "save zone" on Turkish borders.
