Erdogan shows firm stance on Afrin operation, says will not step back

Ankara, Jan 23 : Turkey will not take a step back from its operation against the People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria's Afrin, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

"There is no stepping back from Afrin," Xinhua quoted Erdogan as saying at an award ceremony in Ankara on Monday.

Turkey had spoken with Russia and the US before the operation, but could not convince the US of something, Erdogan said.

He reiterated that the operation in Afrin will not be over before objectives are accomplished in the field, "just like the Euphrates Shield Operation" in mid-2016.

The Turkish military and the allied Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel fighters launched "Operation Olive Branch" on Saturday, opening a new front in Syria's seven-year-long war.