WASHINGTON, Nov 24 (KUNA) -- The US urges an immediate de-escalation in northern Syria and is deeply concerned by recent military action that destabilizes the region, the State Department spokesperson said.
State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement, late on Wednesday, "We are deeply concerned by recent military action that destabilizes the region, threatens our shared goal to fight IS (the so-called Islamic State or Daesh) and endangers civilians and US personnel." "We understand Turkey has legitimate security concerns regarding terrorism," he added. "At the same time, we have consistently communicated our serious concerns about the impact of escalation in Syria on our D-(IS) goals and on civilians on both sides of the border." He expressed condolences for the loss of civilian life that has occurred in Syria and Turkey.
Turkish air forces have launched a series of strikes targeting strongholds of armed Kurdish groups in northern Iraq and Syria.
The strikes came on the heels of a deadly bombing that happened in Istanbul recently. Ankara has accused separatists Kurds of orchestrating the blast and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to deploy ground forces to hit the Kurdish groups' positions. (end) si.rk