Turkey army chiefs discuss potential Syria military offensive

Turkey's defence minister Hulusi Akar met with top military officials on Thursday to discuss a potential army offensive east of the Euphrates River in Syria, as Ankara ramps up threats to launch an offensive against Kurdish forces.

The meeting came a day after Turkey said it was not satisfied with the buffer zone solutions offered by the United States in northern Syria, aimed at preventing clashes between Turkish and Kurdish forces. 

"The latest US proposals are not satisfactory," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the state-run Anadolu news agency on Wednesday.

"A deal must be reached quickly on a security zone. Our patience has run out."

Turkey has launched two previous offensives into Syria against IS and the YPG, in 2016 and 2018 respectively. 

Akar told Turkish military officers on Thursday that Ankara had set out its view to the US.

"We emphasised to them once again that we have no tolerance for any delays, and that we will use our initiative if necessary," the Defence Ministry quoted Akar as saying.

A Pentagon spokesman reiterated that coordination with the United States was the only way to address security concerns.

"We have made clear that unilateral military action into northeast Syria by any party, particularly as US personnel may be present or in the vicinity, is of grave concern," Commander Sean Robertson said in a statement.

The US has provided extensive support to the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia in Syria. 

The YPG has led the fighting against the Islamic State group in Syria, but Ankara sees it as a terrorist off-shoot of Kurdish militants inside Turkey.

Agencies contributed to this report.