Arab Ministers Slam Turkey For Syria Aggression, Call For Unconditional Withdrawal Of Troops

Slamming Turkey’s offensive against Kurdish Forces in Syria, Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Saturday called the Turkish attack as an “invasion of an Arab land”. The Arab foreign ministers called for an immediate withdrawal of Ankara’s troops. The statement comes after Egypt called an emergency meeting to discuss Turkey’s assault on the Kurds. The ground offensive launched by Turkey in Northern Syria has invited worldwide condemnations and threats of sanctions.

The Arab ministers called for “ending the aggression and the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Turkey from all of Syria’s land”, the statement said.

The group said Ankara’s offensive was a “direct threat to Arab national security”, adding they would consider “urgent measures to confront the Turkish aggression”.

Moreover, the foreign ministers of Iraq and Lebanon called for Syria’s Arab League membership to be unfrozen.

Syria has been suspended from the pan-Arab bloc since 2011 over its bloody crackdown on protestors.

The Kurds have been American allies in its war against the ISIS in Syria but Turkey says the main Kurdish militia in Syria is a “terrorist” group with links to its own Kurdish insurgency.

Also Read: US Troop Position Came Under Fire From Turkish Incursion In Syria: Pentagon

Ankara’s military campaign comes in the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s announcement on Sunday that US troops deployed in northern Syria were pulling back from the border.

However, a Pentagon spokesman on Friday said that US troops near the northern Syrian border came under artillery fire from Turkish positions. The spokesperson warned that US was prepared to meet aggression with “immediate defensive action.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said that Turkey will not stop its operation against Kurdish militants in northern Syria, dismissing what he called "threats" from other countries. "It doesn't matter what certain people say, we will not stop," Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul.