Turkey will start an operation east of the Euphrates river in northern Syria in a “few days,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday. The move could further complicate relations with the United States. “We will start the operation to clear the East of the Euphrates from separatist terrorists in a few days,” Erdogan said in a speech. “Our target is never US soldiers,” Reuters quoted him as saying. Turkey and the US have long been at odds over Syria, where Washington has backed the YPG Kurdish militia in the fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). Ankara considers the YPG to be a terrorist organization.