Turkishmilitaryready for Syriaoffensive

ERDOGAN’S PLAN Ankara wants to resettle 2mn refugees in the country’s north

ISTANBUL: Turkey said on Tuesday it had completed preparations for a military operation in northeast Syria after the US began pulling back troops, opening the way for a Turkish attack on Kurdish-led forces long allied to Washington.

But US President Donald Trump warned he would “obliterate” the NATO ally’s economy if it took action in Syria that he considered “off limits” following his decision on Sunday to pull 50 American special forces troops from the border region.

The US withdrawal will leave its Kurdish-led partner forces in Syria vulnerable to an incursion by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), which brands them terrorists because of their links to Kurdish militants who have waged a long insurgency inside Turkey.

“The TSK will never tolerate the establishment of a terror corridor on our borders. All preparations for the operation have been completed,” the Turkish defence ministry said on Twitter early on Tuesday.

“It is essential to establish a safe zone/peace corridor to contribute to our region’s peace and stability, and for Syrians to achieve a safe life,” it said.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said Ankara plans to resettle two million refugees in northern Syria.

Meanwhile, Erdogan will visit the US on November 13 at the invitation of Trump, a White House spokesman said later on Tuesday.

Trump said Erdogan was visiting as his “guest” in a series of tweets earlier on Tuesday defending his decision this week to withdraw US forces from northern Syria.