Erdogan says new offensive into Syria to stay on agenda until concerns addressed -media

He also said the United States must withdraw from the east of the Euphrates river and halt its support for terrorist groups.

A new Turkish offensive against the Kurdish YPG militia in Syria will remain on Turkey's agenda until its security concerns are addressed, President Tayyip Erdogan said, according to a text shared by the presidency, after talks with Iran and Russia's leaders. Erdogan, who announced earlier this year that Turkey would launch a new offensive in northern Syria against the YPG, held talks on Syria with his Russian and Iranian counterparts in Tehran on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters on his return flight, Erdogan said the three countries were united in counter-terrorism despite having different views on some Syria-related issues, adding he believes all three think alike regarding the YPG, which Ankara considers a terrorist organization. Erdogan accused the YPG, a key U.S. ally in fighting the Islamic State in Syria, of "draining" Syrian petrol and later selling it to the government of President Bashar al-Assad. He also said the United States must withdraw from the east of the Euphrates river and halt its support for terrorist groups.