'Timetable for stabilising Manbij, Syria is clear' — Bozdag

Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag says there is a very clear timetable that has been agreed between the US and Turkey on the YPG's removal from Manbij in northern Syria.

"There is a very clear timetable. Ninety days of it were planned clearly, what and when will be done, all were designated," Bekir Bozdag said in the central Yogzat province, appearing on television.

A roadmap on Manbij was announced after a meeting in Washington on Monday between Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The deal focuses on the withdrawal of the PKK-affiliated YPG terror group from the northern Syrian city.

TRT World's Hasan Abdullah reports.

Bozdag said not only Manbij but also the area east of the Euphrates River would also be cleared of YPG/PKK.

"Of course, we prioritise [reaching] a solution east of the Euphrates with a political agreement like in Manbij," he added.

Bozdag said if those areas are not cleared of terror groups, Turkey has the right to eliminate the terrorist threats to Turkey.

"We would not hesitate to use this right," he added.

The YPG and PYD are Syrian offshoots of the PKK terror group, which has taken some 40,000 lives in its 30-year terrorist campaign against the Turkish state.

NATO welcomes roadmap

The head of NATO on Wednesday said he welcomed a Turkish-US agreement on a roadmap for Manbij, Syria.

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's comment came during a press conference ahead of a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels, the Anadolu News Agency reported.