Millions of Syrians would return home after Turkish operation: Erdoğan

ANKARA

Millions of Syrians living in Turkey will be able to return to their homeland after Ankara liberates Syria's Manbij, Tal Rifaat and the region east of the Euphrates from terrorists, Turkish president said on Jan. 26.

“We are determined to save our region from disaster in cooperation with Russia, Iran, the U.S. and especially with Syrian people,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said at the ruling Justice and Development Party’s presentation of mayoral candidates for the southeastern Gaziantep province.

Erdoğan added that Turkey has completed all preparation for a possible military operation east of the Euphrates in northern Syria which Ankara said would serve territorial integrity in the war-torn country.

"Some 300,000 Syrians have returned to their homeland, after our operations cleared the area off terrorists," Erdoğan also said, noting that Turkey "neutralized" 3,000 members ISIL in Syria's al-Bab alone.