“We hear and take seriously Turkey’s legitimate security concerns and are committed to working with Turkey as a NATO ally,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at a news conference.

Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch on Jan. 20 against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in the northern Syrian city of Afrin.

Sanders urged “all parties” to remain focused on defeating the Islamic State (IS), de-escalating the Syrian conflict and protecting innocent civilians.

“We want to ensure that [Bashar] al-Assad’s brutal regime cannot return to Afrin, and we will continue working diplomatically to end the Syrian civil war,” Sanders said, urging Turkey to exercise restraint in its military actions.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Jan. 22 Washington recognizes and fully appreciates Turkey’s legitimate right to protect its citizens from terrorist elements.

His remarks came during a meeting with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in London.

“So we are concerned about the Turkish incidents in northern Syria,” he said.

“We recognize and fully appreciate Turkey’s legitimate right to protect its own citizens from terrorist elements that may be launching attacks against Turkish citizens on Turkish soil from Syria,” he added, also urging all sides to show restraint.

Tillerson said he was in talks with Ankara and the leadership of the U.S.-led coalition in Syria, adding that he was hoping to address Turkey’s “legitimate concerns.”

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