US urges Turkey not to take military action against Afrin

US State Department urged Turkey not to take military action against Afrin on Thursday.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert called upon Turkey not to take military action against Afrin and remain focused on fighting ISIS in the region.

Answering a question about Turkey’s intentions to invade Afrin region Nauert said: “We would call on the Turks to not take any actions of that sort. ... We don’t want them to engage in violence but we want them to keep focussed on ISIS.”

Nauert’s comments are the first open statements about recent Turkish military deployment on Afrin border and threats against Kurds in Northern Syria.