Turkish Defense Minister Akar, top military officials visit Syrian border
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and senior military officials inspected the troops in Şanlıurfa on the Syrian border on June 5. Akar held face-to-face and videconference meetings with the commanders on the border. President Erdoğan also attended some of these meetings by phone and praised the military’s cross-border operations.
Duvar English
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and other high-level military officials inspected the country's troops on the Syrian border on June 5.
Akar was accompanied by Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Güler, Commander of Turkish Land Forces Ümit Dündar, Air Force Commander Hasan Küçükakyüz and Naval Forces Admiral Adnan Özbal during his visit to Şanlıurfa, state-run Anadolu Agency said.
Akar and the accompanying delegation held face-to-face and videconference meetings with the commanders on the border.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also attended these meetings by phone and praised the military’s cross-border operations saying Turkey's position in NATO would grow stronger.
The inspections come amid Turkey's continued operations in Syria.
Turkey has so far launched three operations into Syria: to push ISIS out of the area between Jarablus and Al Bab in Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016; to capture the Syrian Kurdish YPG-controlled Afrin with Operation Olive Branch in 2018; and to take over Kurdish-controlled territory between Tel Abyad and Ras al-Ain with Operation Peace Spring in 2019.