U.S. Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis (L) shakes hands with Indonesia's President Joko Widodo during his visit to the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia January 23, 2018. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside
JAKARTA (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis urged Turkey on Tuesday to exercise restraint in its military operations in northern Syria, which he said had disrupted the peaceful return of refugees and could prove to be an opening for al Qaeda and Islamic State.
"This could be exploited by ISIS and al Qaeda, obviously, that we're not staying focused on them right now. And obviously it risks exacerbating the humanitarian crisis that most of Syria is going through," Mattis told reporters during a trip to Indonesia, using an acronym for Islamic State.
Win a prize this Mother's Day by subscribing to our annual plan now! T&C applies.
