Turkish President: No need for YPG to free Raqqa

Baku. 27 October. REPORT.AZ/ During a telephone conversation with US President Barack Obama, I have proposed to free Raqqa from Daesh together. No need for YPG (Syrian wing of terrorist PKK - Report) to liberate Raqqa."

Report informs citing the Turkish media, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in Beştepe event devoted to the veterans and families of martyrs.

"They will leave al-Bab, too. The fight will continue this way. Then we will fight forward Manbij, Raqqa. Yesterday evening we have a telephone conversation with Barack Obama. We have discussed the measures to be carried out. I also stated that we don't need PYD-YPG (Syrian wings of terrorist PKK) terrorist groups. PKK, PYD and YPG are the same. We have power to liberate Raqqa together. YPG, PYD are modest terror groups", he stressed.

Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Işık said on Thursday that he has asked the U.S. not to allow YPG terrorists enter the Daesh-stronghold of Raqqa in Syria.

Işık, who is attending a two-day NATO meeting in Brussels, said that Turkey has the necessary skills to provide an alternative to YPG and that the U.S. should not allow them to reach Raqqa.

He noted that the necessary force could be formed under the scope of the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA), which has been successfully carrying out Operation Euphrates Shield in Syria and has cleared Turkey's border from Daesh terrorists.