Turkey and its Free Syrian Army (FSA) allies launched the operation, dubbed “Olive Branch” by Ankara, in January and have since swept the Syrian Kurdish YPG from the Afrin region.

Erdogan has previously threatened to push further east, a move that would ratchet up tension in Syria’s multi-sided conflict.

“Alongside our 56 martyrs, the FSA army had hundreds of martyrs,” Erdogan told Turkey’s NTV in an interview broadcast live.

Turkey sees the YPG as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The United States has trained and backed the YPG militia in the fight against Islamic State in Syria. That support has infuriated Erdogan and strained ties between Washington and Ankara.

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