EU urges Turkey to refrain from 'unilateral' Syria move

ANKARA - The European Union's foreign policy chief on Saturday asked Turkey to forgo any unilateral military action in Syria, where Ankara has threatened a fresh offensive against a Kurdish militia.

"The statements of a possible Turkish military operation in northeast Syria are a source of concern," Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

"We share the goal of ending violence, defeating terrorism and promoting stability in Syria and the wider region. We expect the Turkish authorities therefore to refrain from any unilateral action likely to undermine the efforts of the Counter-Daesh Coalition or to risk further instability in Syria," she added, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.