Putin Doubts Turkey Can Contain Captured ISIS Fighters: 'They Could Just Run Away'

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin has said that Turkey's military operation in northern Syria could lead to the revival of the ISIS group.

"I'm not sure whether the Turkish army will be able to take this under control and how soon. This is a real threat to us," he told reporters on a visit to Turkmenistan.

Turkey launched a military offensive into northern Syria on Wednesday (October 9), after US President Donald Trump gave a green light to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a phone call on Sunday.

Trump said he agreed with Erdoğan that Turkey will be responsible to handle the captured ISIS fighters in the area. According to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the main US ally in the fight against the ISIS, there are about 10 thousand imprisoned militants in the area. Though Erdoğan said those figures are "exaggerated".

Putin stressed that "Kurdish military groups" who were guarding the ISIS fighters are now fleeing and that could pave the way for them to regroup. "They could just run away," he said.

"We have to be aware of this and mobilize the resources of our intelligence to undercut this emerging tangible threat," Putin added. (PT/VK)