"Our forces along with the Free Syrian Army [fighters] have reached the [town] center. And the Daesh forces are now in the process of leaving Al-Bab," he told a press conference at Ataturk International Airport ahead of his departure for Bahrain, the first leg of his four-day, three-nation Gulf tour. Erdogan reiterated that Turkey does not have any plans to stay in Syria after Daesh is wiped out, saying Turkey's only goal is to "clear this region of terrorism".
Turkey has been carrying out a military operation in northern Syria since last August. Led by Free Syrian Army fighters, the Operation Euphrates Shield, aims to improve security, support coalition forces, and eliminate the terror threat along the Turkish border backed by Turkish artillery and jets. The operation has focused on the Daesh-held town of Al-Bab since early December.
"Al-Bab is about to be captured. Manbij and Raqqah are next," Erdogan said, adding their number one priority was to form a safe zone in the country. "The goal is to establish a safe, terror-free zone of 4 to 5,000 kilometers, and to prevent migration from Syria, and ensure the return of [Syrian] people who live now in our camps.
"Of course, in order to do this, we also would like to almost build new cities there. I have shared this with Mr. Trump and coalition forces, including Germany in particular," he added. The next step is to establish a no-fly zone, Erdogan said. "Then they [the Syrians] will be able to establish their national army and feel themselves safe."
"The train-and-equip program is also of utmost importance," he noted, saying the "FSA is one such army trained and equipped as part of this program," carried out by Turkey and the U.S.