With our tanks and soldiers.. Erdogan reveals the goal of the upcoming operation in Syria, and the Kremlin and the Pentagon comment

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted, on Tuesday, of an imminent ground operation in northern Syria against the Kurdish units, which Ankara accuses of masterminding the bombing that took place a few days ago in Istanbul, leaving dead and wounded.

While the Turkish air strikes continued against the Kurdish militants, Washington and Moscow expressed their positions on the operations carried out by the Turkish army.

In a speech delivered in northeastern Turkey, Erdogan referred to an upcoming ground operation in Syria against the Kurdish units, which are the main component within what is known as the Syrian Democratic Forces.

"We have been attacking terrorists for a few days with our planes, cannons and rifles. God willing, we will eradicate them all as soon as possible with our tanks and soldiers," the Turkish president said.

Commenting on the military operation launched by the Turkish army against the Kurdish units in northern Syria and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, Erdogan defended what he described as his country's legitimate right to defend its security.

He said that from now on, the only measure for Turkey is its security and the safety of its citizens, adding that Ankara is aware of the countries behind the "terrorist organization" and supporting it, referring to the Kurdish militants.

For his part, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Tuesday that the military air operation that his country is carrying out in northern Syria and Iraq is larger and more comprehensive than the operations it carried out in the recent period, and called on the United States to stop supporting the Kurdish militants.

military operations

The statements of the Turkish president and defense minister come while the Turkish forces continue to bomb the positions of the Kurdish units in northern Syria, by air and by land, in conjunction with air raids on the positions of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, as part of an operation launched at dawn last Sunday, which Ankara called "claw-sword".

Media loyal to the Syrian regime reported that the Turkish warplanes carried out 5 raids on sites known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, in the village of Al-Makman, east of the Euphrates River in Deir ez-Zor countryside, about 80 kilometers from the border with Turkey.

Local sources and loyalist websites reported that 4 members of these forces were killed and 5 others, including a commander, were wounded when Turkish drones bombed their positions in Tal Ziwan in the countryside of Qamishli in Al-Hasakah Governorate, a joint base of the International Coalition and two oil sites in Al-Qahtaniya, in addition to the village of Al-Awja in Tal Tamr in the same governorate.

For its part, sources in the Syrian opposition said that Turkish bombardment targeted sites of the Syrian Democratic Forces in the vicinity of Tal Rifaat, Menagh airport and Manbij countryside in Aleppo countryside, while these forces responded by bombing two Turkish bases in the northern countryside of Aleppo.

And local sources in northern Syria reported that two members of what is known as the Syrian Democratic Forces were killed as a result of Turkish shelling on a site in Tal Ziwan in the countryside of Qamishli.

Al-Jazeera correspondent also reported, quoting sources in the opposition, that the sites of what is known as the Syrian Democratic Forces in the vicinity of Tal Rifaat in the countryside of Aleppo were subjected to Turkish shelling, and he said that the Kurdish militants bombed with several shells a Turkish base in the village of Kaljibrin in the countryside of Aleppo.

In the framework of the military escalation in northern Syria, on Tuesday, 5 civilians, including a child, were killed in shelling launched from areas under the control of the Kurdish units and the Syrian regime forces, targeting the city of Azaz, which is controlled by the Syrian opposition, in the northern countryside of Aleppo, while 3 members of the Syrian regime were killed and others were wounded by artillery shelling. Turkish forces targeted Menagh military airport, south of Azaz.

In addition, 3 shells fired by the Kurdish units fell on the Ongupnar border crossing in the southern province of Kilis, according to the Anadolu Agency.

Dozens of Kurdish militants and members of the Syrian regime were killed in the Turkish strikes in northern Syria, and Ankara said that its warplanes destroyed 89 targets in Syria and Iraq last Sunday and killed 184 militants in operations targeting the Kurdish units on Sunday and Monday.

Washington and Moscow hang

Politically, the Russian presidency on Tuesday called on all parties to refrain from what it described as destabilizing steps throughout Syria and to exercise restraint.

The Kremlin said that Moscow understands and respects Turkey's concerns about ensuring its security, pointing out that this is a legal right.

The Kremlin acknowledged that there are always differences in the approaches of Russia and Turkey regarding fulfilling the obligations of the Sochi agreement regarding de-escalation in Syria, saying that this is what the leaders of the two countries are discussing.

The Russian envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, also called on the Turkish government not to use excessive force in Syria.

The Novosti agency quoted Lavrentiev as saying that it is necessary to search for a peaceful solution to the "Kurdish issue," adding that the withdrawal of US forces from Syria will help stabilize the situation in this country.

In Washington, the coordinator of strategic affairs at the US National Security Council, John Kirby, said that Turkey suffers from a terrorist threat, especially on its southern borders, and that it has the right to defend itself.

However, Kirby stressed, in an audio briefing, that Washington's position is consistent regarding Turkish military operations across borders, warning that it would lead to undermining the ability of what is known as the Syrian Democratic Forces to fight ISIS.

In turn, the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) Deputy Spokesperson Sabrina Singh said that the military actions by all parties in northern Syria threaten the mission of defeating the state organization, adding that Washington continues to call on all parties to stop the escalation.

In New York, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, called for avoiding any form of escalation on the Turkish-Syrian border.

In response to a question about the Turkish president's hint at the possibility of launching a ground military operation in Syria, Haq said that the international organization renews its call to adhere to the utmost restraint.