Turkey rejects US, French calls to suspend offensive in NW Syria

Turkey rejected on Wednesday Western calls to suspend its offensive in northwest Syria, saying the US misunderstood the extent of a UN ceasefire resolution. Ankara also accused France of giving “false information” on the issue, Reuters reports. Ankara has said the UN resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire across Syria does not apply to its five-week-old military operation in Afrin against the Kurdish YPG militia. Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist group. In statements to two NATO allies, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said a US State Department appeal that Turkey “go back and read” the ceasefire resolution was unfounded. He also denied that Paris had told Ankara that the truce also applied to its Afrin campaign.