Turkish president vows to continue involvement in Syria, Iraq

Turkey will continue its involvement in Syria and Iraq, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said here on Wednesday, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

"We are determined to stand by our brothers and sisters, who are fighting against terrorist organizations, through our diplomatic and military might if necessary," Erdogan said at the Presidential Complex.

The president noted that Turkey would not allow Iraq to be drawn into a sectarian war.

He added that Turkey had never made any demands about taking any territory from Mosul.

"We are determined to clear Democratic Union Party (PYD) from Manbij as soon as possible," he said, adding that if the terrorist group did not withdraw east of the Euphrates River, Turkey "will do the necessary."

Erdogan also indicated that Turkey would be active in Syria to build a security corridor on the west side of the Euphrates, to fight against Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Islamic State (IS).

Turkey considers PYD, the Syrian offshoot of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that controls a continuous area south of its border, a national security threat.

The PKK and the PYD are both listed as terrorist groups by Turkey, while the U.S. and the European Union only regard the PKK as a terrorist organization.

Turkey launched the Euphrates Shield operation in August to rid the north Syrian border area of IS terrorists and prevent YPG to extend its control over these towns. Endit