Trump warns Turkey as Erdogan vows to expand operations in Syria

istanbul/Beirut (dpa) Jan 25, 2018-   Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to continue military action to rid Syria of US-allied Kurdish militias, despite a warning from Washington for Turkey not to risk a clash with its forces in the region.   

Turkish operations continued Wednesday against Kurdish militants in Afrin, a Kurdish-held enclave in north-western Syria.   

But, in a telephone call with Erdogan, US President Donald Trump urged the Turkish leader to “avoid any actions that might risk conflict between Turkish and American forces” and emphasized the “shared goal” of the lasting defeat of the Islamic State terrorist movement, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement.   

Trump “relayed concerns” that the escalating violence in Afrin “risks undercutting our shared goals in Syria,” Sanders added.   

A Kurdish official told DPA that US soldiers remain inside Manbij. Analysts have cautioned that the area could be a flashpoint in already strained relations between Washington and Ankara.