Turkey will not ask permission from anyone.. Erdogan: We discussed taking joint steps with Russia in northern Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today, Tuesday, that Turkey has asked for Russia’s support and discussed taking joint steps with it in northern Syria, where Ankara is seeking to carry out a ground operation.

“We asked for his (Russian President Vladimir Putin’s) support to take joint decisions and perhaps work together to take steps here (in northern Syria),” Erdogan told reporters in Ankara, according to Reuters news agency, adding that Turkey would not ask anyone for permission.

Turkish sources revealed to Al-Jazeera a few days ago that Russia offered Turkey the withdrawal of the so-called “Syrian Democratic Forces” from Ayn al-Arab (Kobani) and Manbij in northern Syria, during consultations in Istanbul between the Turkish and Russian sides regarding the Turkish military operation in northern Syria.

The Turkish sources said that the Russian offer proposes to maintain the “Asayish” forces (border guards belonging to the Kurdish militants) after integrating them into the security establishment of the Syrian regime.

She added that the Russian delegation informed her that the “Syrian Democratic Forces” agreed to the proposal, provided that there was no Turkish invasion of northern Syria.

“We uproot our thorns with our own hands.”

The Turkish president had confirmed that his country would “uproot its thorns with its own hands” in northern Syria, stressing that Ankara has no other choice.

Erdogan said, “The United States has sent 4 to 5 thousand truckloads of weapons to northern Syria. Despite my talk about it over and over again, they never care.”

He confirmed that he informed the American side that Turkey is an ally of the United States within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and despite that, it commits this mistake against it and stands by the terrorist organization, “So we will uproot our thorns with our own hands, so there is no other choice.”

Last November 20, Turkey launched the “claw-sword” operation against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces) in northern and northeastern Syria, after it was accused of masterminding the bombing that took place on Istiklal Street in Istanbul, killing 6 people, which the militants denied. Kurds.