German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a Sunday phone call urged Turkey’s president to immediately halt his country’s military operations in northern Syria.

Merkel told President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the incursion threatens to bolster ISIS members and destabilize the region.

She also relayed that despite “legitimate Turkish security interests,” their invasion into Syria could displace major parts of the local population, according to a statement.

France, who’s also in opposition to Turkey’s invasion, held an emergency security meeting Sunday night to discuss an unspecified initiative to help end the attacks.

Speaking alongside Merkel in Paris on Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron said Turkey’s offensive is creating humanitarian problems and “helping the Islamic State group [to] re-emerge in the region.”



Erdogan’s offensive paved the way for hundreds of ISIS backers to escape a Syrian detention center on Sunday, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said.

Germany and France have suspended arms sales to Turkey.

Macron said he and Merkel will continue to collaborate on “initiatives in the coming hours and days.”

With Post Wires