...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
on Sunday said the northern Syrian town of Tal Rifaat would be the next target of its cross-border campaign after the capture of Afrin from Syrian Kurdish militia.
"God willing, we will ensure this operation achieves its goal after taking control of Tal Rifaat in a short period of time," President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey...said in the Black Sea city of Trabzon.
Afrin's capture is seen as a major step forwards for Turkey as it seeks to bolster control along its border in northern Syria.
Erdogan has repeatedly suggested that the
Tal Rifaat lies in a strategic area right in the middle between the city of Afrin and the town of Marea -- which is a key rebel-held town to the east.
Taking it could connect rebel territory between Afrin and Marea.
Tens of thousands of people fleeing the Afrin offensive have travelled to Tal Rifaat, which is also very close to the key Minnigh airport, also held by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Force (SDF) dominated by the YPG.
Tal Rifaat has changed hands several times in Syria's war. The SDF captured it from Syrian rebels in February 2016, despite Turkey's efforts to keep them back.