BEIRUT — Turkey's prime minister has rebuffed criticism of operations against Syrian Kurdish fighters and says they will continue.
Binali Yildirim said Friday that "what anybody says regarding our fight against terrorist organizations is irrelevant." He added that Turkey would continue doing "whatever is necessary" to ensure its own safety.
Turkish jets attacked targets Syrian Kurdish militia targets north of Aleppo late Wednesday. Turkey regards the group an extension of its own outlawed Kurdish militant group, but the U.S. considers it the most effective force in the fight against the IS group — a stance Yildirim labelled "a grave mistake."
Yildirim also said U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter confirmed during their meeting earlier Friday that allied Syrian Kurdish fighters would withdraw east of the Euphrates River as promised.
Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.