*ISTANBUL: *President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that threats ofsanctions and arms embargoes by Western powers would not stop Turkey’smilitary offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria.
“After we launched our operation, we have faced threats like economicsanctions and embargoes on weapons sales. Those who think they can makeTurkey turn back with these threats are gravely mistaken,” Erdogan said ina televised speech.
France and Germany said on Saturday that they were suspending arms exportsto Turkey over its offensive in Syria against the Kurdish People’sProtection Units (YPG).
Turkey sees the YPG as a terrorist off-shoot of Kurdish rebels in its ownterritory, but Western powers used the Kurdish forces as the main groundforce against the Islamic State group.
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Erdogan said the Turkish military and its Syrian proxies now controlled theborder town of Ras al-Ain while Tal Abyad was being besieged from twodirections. -APP/AFP
