MOSCOW: Russia on Saturday voiced concern and urged restraint over a newTurkish operation to oust Kurdish militia from a northern Syrian enclave,with Moscow responding by withdrawing its troops from the zone in question.

“Moscow is concerned at this news. We call on the opposing parties to showrestraint,” the foreign ministry said after the launch of an operationwhich has also drawn US warnings.

The Turkish incursion prompted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov todiscuss the issue with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Lavrov’sministry said.

They discussed “measures to take aimed at securing stability in the northof the country,” it said on Facebook and agreed .

Moscow said the conversation was a US initiative.

The Russian defence ministry said its troops were withdrawing from aroundAfrin “to prevent potential provocation and exclude the threat to the lifeand wellbeing of Russian military” after Ankara launched a new air andground operation to oust People´s Protection Units (YPG) militia.

Turkey deems the group a terrorist organisation.

Reacting to the offensive, the Russian military criticised Washington forhaving “provoked an extremely negative reaction from Ankara” with”uncontrollable arms deliveries” to the US-backed rebel group.

Ankara had over recent days expressed fury over a US plan to train a30,000-strong body of local fighters, including the YPG, as a “bordersecurity force.”

Pentagon officials backtracked midweek, insisting the force will operatewithin Syria to protect areas liberated from Daesh after Turkish foreignMinister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned of “irreversible damage” to Turkish-USrelations.

A Russian army statement blasted what it termed “irresponsible acts on thepart of the Americans in Syria (which) threaten to undermine the process ofa peaceful resolution” of the conflict.

A defence ministry statement said Russia seeks a resolution “based onterritorial integrity and respect for the country´s sovereignty.”

Following a partial December withdrawal of its troops from Syria, whereRussia intervened on behalf of the regime in September 2015, “the mainobjective of Russian forces remaining in the country is to ensure respectof the truce in de-escalation zones,” the ministry said.