Turkish, US defense chiefs hold phone talks
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held a phone conversation on Wednesday, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said in a statement, News.Az reports.
The defense chiefs discussed bilateral and regional defense and security issues.
Akar stressed that Türkiye and the US are important allies.
Speaking about Türkiye's cross-border operations in northern Iraq and Syria, Akar said the counter-terrorism operations are being carried out in accordance with the right of self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
He also emphasized that the only target in the operations was terrorists and that Türkiye never targets coalition forces or civilians.