(Bloomberg) -- Turkey will start an operation east of the Euphrates river in northern Syria within days, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara.

Turkey has repeatedly threatened to attack Kurdish militants in the region, who are backed by the U.S. but viewed by Turkey as an extension of a terrorist organization, the PKK.

To contact the reporter on this story: Cagan Koc in Istanbul at ckoc2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Shaji Mathew at shajimathew@bloomberg.net

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