Slideshow ( 2 images )

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey told the head of the U.S. military, Joseph Dunford, during his visit this weekend that Ankara’s priority in Syria is driving the Kurdish YPG militia from the town of Manbij, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Monday.

Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting, Kurtulmus also said that using non-Arab elements to drive Islamic State out of its Syrian stronghold of Raqqa would not contribute to peace in the region.

The U.S.-backed Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), of which the YPG is a major component, said on Sunday it had launched an operation to push the jihadists out of Raqqa.