Turkey starts operations in Iraq's Sinjar: Erdogan

ANKARA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday a military operation had started in Iraq's Sinjar.

"We said that the operation won't end with Afrin. Now operations have begun there (Sinjar)," Erdogan said at a congress of his ruling Justice and Development Party in the Black Sea province of Trabzon, local media reported.

He also said that the Turkish-led forces would take control of Syrian northern town of Tel Rifaat, a Kurdish-controlled enclave cut off from a larger expanse of Kurdish territory in the northeast of Syria.

"We will achieve this operation's goal by taking control of Tel Rifaat within a short period," Turkish president stressed.

He urged the U.S. to transfer control of Syria's Manbij from the People's Protection Units (YPG) to the city's "real owners."

"If the YPG group is not removed from Manbij, we will be forced to remove them with the support of the local Syrian people," Erdogan added.

On Saturday, Turkish military announced Syria's Afrin region has been taken under "complete" control after an eight-week offensive to drive Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters from the region.

President Erdogan has repeatedly vowed to extend the military operation along the Syrian border.

Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch on Jan. 20 to clear the YPG, which Ankara considers a terror group affiliated to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), from northwestern Syria. Enditem