The opposition Syrian National Coalition welcomed on Saturday Turkey’s military operation against “terrorist organizations” east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria.
It said: “Turkish forces in cooperation with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) are continuing their preliminary preparations to launch a battle against terrorist groups east of the Euphrates.”
The announcement was made shortly after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump said Friday they were seeking “more effective” cooperation on Syria.
Coalition chief Abdulrahman Mustafa said: “The suffering of the Syrian people is continuing at the hands of the Bashar Assad regime and other terrorist groups, such as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Hezbollah and Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).”
The YPG is the military branch of the Kurdish US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.
“Any military operation to eliminate these organizations is welcomed,” said Mustafa.
The FSA is prepared to take part in the operation aimed at expelling these groups from east of the Euphrates, said the Coalition.
Some 15,000 fighters will take part with the Turkish forces in raiding over 150 positions east of the river.
On Friday, the Turkish military struck YPG positions in the eastern Aleppo countryside.
An FSA commander confirmed the strikes to the German news agency.
The YPG has meanwhile been fortifying its positions against any onslaught.
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