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Turkey, U.S. presidents discuss anti-IS operations

Xinhua, October 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

The presidents of Turkey and the United States had a telephone conversation late Wednesday on next steps in the fight against Islamic State (IS) militants, the Turkish presidential office said on Thursday.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan and his U.S. counterpart, Barack Obama, underscored the need for continuing the ongoing successful process to eliminate threats against Syrian people, Turkey, the U.S. and other countries, the office said in a statement.

Obama expressed the appreciation for Turkey's contributions to the anti-IS fight, particularly for supporting the Free Syrian Army, which cleared the IS from the Turkey-Syria border region, the statement said.

The U.S. president said Washington welcomes the ongoing dialogue between Turkey and Iraq on Ankara's participation in the anti-IS coalition in a proper form and at a proper level, the statement added.

Pointing to the need for clearing all terrorist organizations, including the IS and the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), from the region, Erdogan underlined the importance of conducting the operation on Mosul with sensitivity, the statement said.

Erdogan and Obama also agreed on not allowing any PKK presence in northern Iraq, reiterating their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq. Endit