BEIRUT, LEBANON (5:25 P.M.) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkey will continue the Euphrates Shield operation in Syria’s Afrin and Manbij regions, during a speech in Ankara, Tuesday.

“It is now time to breakdown the planned construction of the corridor of terror by a separatist organisation along the Syrian border. We will complete this process by continuing the Shield of Euphrates through Afrin and Manbij until the whole border is peaceful and safe. In this period, we need stronger support from our brothers in the region. We need to put in an effort to carry out the steps that we have made in the past to do more,” Erdogan stated.

The Turkish President made the statement during a parliamentary address to his ruling AK Party.

Turkey’s operation ‘Euphrates Shield’ was launched on 24 August, 2016, in alliance with the US-led coalition with the stated aim of clearing IS fighters from the Syria-Turkey border. However, Turkish forces were also carrying out operations against Kurdish fighters.