Turkey Contradicts Trump on Custody of Jihadists Jailed in Syria
- Foreign Minister Cavusoglu speaks to reporters in Ankara
- Turkish incursion will be ‘limited, proportionate,’ he says
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Turkey will take custody of Islamic State prisoners only in areas of northern Syria where Turkish troops are trying to create a buffer, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday, contradicting a key claim made by President Donald Trump.
With Turkey’s incursion now in its second day, it will only assume responsibility for the militants held under arrest in the “safe zone” it plans to create, Cavusoglu told reporters in Ankara. If the camps or prisons housing the militants are outside the zone, Turkey is “not responsible,” he said.