Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Hami Aksoy reacted to the US Department of State Spokeswoman Heather Nauert's statement on the situation in Afrin.

Aksoy answered a question and said: "The statement made today by the Spokesperson of the US Department of State regarding the situation in Afrin reveals that the US authorities still cannot or unfortunately do not want to comprehend the reason, purpose, and nature of Operation Olive Branch." Aksoy stated that the Olive Branch Operations is a counter-terrorism and that the operation in no way targets civilians, on the contrary, it aims to rescue the civilian population from the oppression and tyranny of a terrorist organization.

"Moreover, all precautions have been taken to avoid harming civilians and the civilian population has been provided with access to humanitarian aid," he added.

Aksoy lastly said; "The claim that the operation conducted against terrorists in Afrin would endanger the combat against DEASH is completely groundless. The approach that actually undermines the combat against terrorism in Syria is the use of one terrorist organization against another and allowing this particular terrorist organization to create faits accomplis on the ground by pushing forward its separatist agenda and to make demographic changes."

ILKHA