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Spokesperson for the coalition to fight ISIS, Colonel Ryan Dillon held a press conference using the teleconference system, which was then shared over Twitter. Dillon commented on the latest developments in Syria and Turkey's Afrin operation.
According to Deutsche Welle Turkish, Dillon answered journalists' questions after his statement, noting the top priority in Syria is to defeat ISIS. "We don't want any other independent agenda or operations going on," said Dillon, and added:
"We should not become distracted from the goal of defeating ISIS. I want to make this very clear: the Coalition only supports military efforts aiming to defeat ISIS. We call all parties to keep their focus on fighting ISIS."
"Afrin operation caused fighters in Euphrates valley to retreat"
Colonel Dillon indicated that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are still fighting ISIS elements in control of certain regions of the Euphrates valley, and that Turkey's Afrin operation could weaken the fight against ISIS in the region. "The latest activities in Afrin have served as a distraction and caused some of the fighters located in the Euphrates valley with the aim of combatting ISIS to withdraw," Dillon said.
"This is concerning for the coalition, so we informed Turkey, a member of the coalition and whose soldiers we have serving in our main headquarters, about how what's happening in Afrin affects the aim of defeating ISIS."
"Diplomatic efforts with Turkey are a start"
Dillon told the press that they have been in almost daily contact with Turkey about Manbij, and said: "Defense Secretary Mattis and Secretary of State Tillerson have talked with their counterparts in Turkey, and I understand that these talks were aimed at finding a mechanism to make progress in Manbij. I don't know the outcomes of these talks yet, but we know that diplomatic efforts are always a start." (PT/PU)
Source: Deutsche Welle Turkish, Twitter
