The Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that everyone understands that defeating ISIS in a short time is possible through ground operations along the lines of operation Euphrates Shield, through which Turkey supports Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters in northern Syria, and called for effective measures to prevent the flow of foreign fighters to the terrorist organisation.

At a press conference with his Spanish counterpart José Manuel García-Margallo yesterday, Cavusoglu said “We need to continue these steps decisively to cleanse Iraq and Syria of the terrorist organisation, which includes foreign militants from 125 countries. We have taken several measures so far in order to stop the flow of insurgents which has led to a significant reduction in their number. However, the countries from which these foreign fighters are coming from must also take serious and effective measures”.

The Turkish Foreign minister stressed that the plans for military operations must include the phases before and after ISIS, and that responsibility for maintaining security in the region must then be handed over to local forces. He said “This is the secret of success. The subject of local forces being in charge of that region and the feeling that they are the ones protecting it is a very important issue. We also want to apply this model in Mosul, northern Iraq. This approach is the most realistic.”

Operation Euphrates Shield, which was launched on the 24th of August by Turkey to cleanse its borders from terrorist organisations and to establish a safe zone inside Syrian territory, continues.