Turkey says Syria operation delayed to avoid friendly fire

Turkey is postponing a military operation against Syrian PKK-affiliated groups in northeast Syria to avoid chaos and friendly fire amid the withdrawal of US troops from the region, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday.

In a televised interview with the state broadcaster, Cavusoglu said the delay did not mean a change of heart about the planned military operation, adding that the US withdrawal plan would be discussed in January in Washington.