Turkey, US to discuss Syria withdrawal on Jan. 8 in Washington

The Turkey-US Joint Working Group will meet in Washington on Jan. 8 to discuss the US' withdrawal from Syria, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Friday (Dec. 21), DS reported.

Speaking about Turkey's decision to delay its cross-border anti-terror operation east of the Euphrates in northern Syria, Cavusoglu said it made sense to postpone it to avoid friendly fire as US forces withdraw.

According to the minister, the delay does not mean Turkey has changed its mind regarding the PKK-affiliated People's Protection Units (YPG) terrorists.

US President Donald Trump stunned his cabinet, lawmakers and much of the world as he ordered American troops home, rejecting the advice of his top aides.

Following Trump's move, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that Turkey had decided to postpone its cross-border operation into areas controlled by the YPG in eastern Syria for some time.