“’Operation Olive Branch’ will continue until it reaches its goals. We will rid Manbij of terrorists, as was promised to us before. Our battles will continue until no terrorist is left right up to our border with Iraq,” Erdogan said in an address to ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) colleagues in Ankara on Jan. 26.

His remarks came as “Operation Olive Branch,” which targets the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria’s northwestern Afrin district, marks its first week.

According to Hurriyet daily Erdogan stressed that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) elements are carrying out a successful operation, vowing to “walk on our road until the end.”

Turkey has a 911-kilometer border with Syria, around 600 kilometers of which is under the control of the YPG. Erdogan said Ankara’s plans to extending the current offensive by Turkish forces towards Manbij, part of Kurdish-held territory some 100 km east of Afrin.

Some U.S. troops have also been located in Manbij since 2016, when the city was liberated from the Islamic State (IS).

Reporter’s code: 50101