US voices opposition to Turkish military operation in Syria

WASHINGTON, Dec 7 (KUNA) -- The United States expressed Wednesday staunch opposition to Turkiye's plan to carry out a military operation inside Syria.
"We don't want to see military operations conducted in northwest Syria that are going to put civilians at greater risk than they already are, put in peril our troops and our personnel in Syria, or our counter ISIS (Islamic State) mission," Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House John Kirby said in a press briefing. "We recognize the threat that the Turkish people are under, but we don't believe that ... this idea of military operations in northwest Syria is the best way to get at that threat," he argued. For his part, the US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price echoed the same view. "We continue to make clear both privately and publicly that we strongly oppose military action, including a land incursion that would further destabilize the lives of communities across Syria and risk the hard-earned gains that the global coalition to confront ISIS has achieved in recent years," he told reporters. He added that the US urges all parties should immediately de-escalate.
"We don't want to see escalation along the border or inside Syria in northeastern Syria. It would be not only -- and it would -- it would put not only the hard-won gains of the counter ISIS coalition at risk, but it has the potential to put our own personnel, US personnel at risk," he cautioned. (end) asj.ibi