Iran's Rouhani says Turkey's Afrin offensive won't 'achieve objectives'
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday said the ongoing Turkish military operation in the Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) city of Afrin would not achieve its objectives.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday said the ongoing Turkish military operation in the Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) city of Afrin would not achieve its objectives.
During a press conference in Tehran, Rouhani urged Turkey to stop its attack on Kurds in Afrin, noting that his country refused to enter another nation’s territory without its consent.
The President’s statement, however, contradicts Tehran’s ongoing presence in neighboring Iraq where Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militias have committed countless violations against civilians in the country, especially Kurds.
“We wish that Turkey’s operation in Syria will end at the earliest time,” he told reporters. “A foreign military intervention should be based on the authorization of the host country and its people.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Bahram Qasimi said the Turkish military intervention in Rojava threatened the security of the region and would “lead to a new civil war.”
Turkish warplanes began striking Afrin on Jan. 20, as dozens of civilians, including children and women, were reported to have been killed by air raids and shelling.
The campaign dubbed “Operation Olive Branch” by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is meant to clear Syria’s Kurdish-held northwest district of People’s Protection Units (YPG) fighters who Turkey claims are an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Ankara has labeled the US-backed Kurdish forces a “terrorist organization” and has been infuriated by Washington’s support for the YPG.
The US, which is backing the Kurds in the ongoing battle against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, said it was concerned and has called on Turkey to limit its military offensive in the Kurdish region.
Kurdistan 24 correspondent Akram Salih, who is covering developments in Afrin, said the bombing has targeted villages which the Turkish army is seeking to move toward but have not made any progress.