In a statement addressed to Daily Sabah, Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said the US supports Turkey’s efforts to secure its borders, fight terrorism, and prevent safe havens for terrorist organizations.
"The Syrian (Assad) regime has allowed northwest Syria to become a safe haven for "al-Qaida" terrorists that not only threaten the Syrian people and regional security, but also support international terrorist networks," he said.
The Pentagon statement underlined the US designation of the Nusra Front, also known as Jabhat Fath al-Sham, as a foreign terrorist organization.
Jabhat Fateh al-Sham is the leading group in the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) coalition that controls almost half of the territory in the Idlib area and the city itself.
Last August, Brett Mcgurk, the US special envoy to the anti-ISIS coalition, said in a panel hosted in Washington that Idlib has become the largest al-Qaida safe haven since 9/11.
Following the panel, McGurk told journalists that the US had wanted to help Turkey remove this threat from its borders.
The Pentagon statement on Saturday said the US was not participating in the operations.
Experts in Washington criticize the Trump administration of being bypassed in the ceasefire agreement sponsored by Turkey, Iran and Russia.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) would prevent violence in the Idlib area while Russia and Iran would hold the regime territory to suspend attacks.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made a phone call to his Turkish counterpart on Saturday, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. "We talked about Syria, Idlib and northern Iraq," he said.
After addressing the audience at the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) consultative meeting on Saturday, Erdogan told press representatives that Turkish soldiers had not yet entered Syria’s Idlib and were not yet involved in the operation, adding that the Free Syrian Army (FSA) was currently conducting the operation in the region.
The TSK is currently supporting the FSA from within Turkey’s borders, while Russian forces are providing air support to the operation, Erdogan said.
Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar visited troops positioned in Turkey’s Reyhanlı later on Saturday. Land Forces Commander Gen. Yasar Guler and Air Forces Commander accompanied Akar during his visit. There, they held a meeting to discuss the latest regional developments, a statement by the military said.
The head of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) also accompanied Akar and the generals during the visit.
Erdoğan said last month Turkey would deploy troops in Syria’s northwest Idlib province as part of a de-escalation agreement brokered by Russia in August.
Ankara launched Operation Euphrates Shield against ISIS last year on Aug. 24, backing FSA forces inside Syria, and recaptured several towns near its border from the terror group, including Jarablous, al-Rai, Dabiq and al-Bab. The operation dealt a heavy blow to the terrorist group’s dominance in Syria.
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