Ankara will not await US ‘permission’ for new Syria offensive

Turkey will not wait for US "permission" to launch a new offensive in Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in remarks published yesterday, defying a warning from Washington.

"One cannot fight terrorism while waiting for the permission of whoever," Erdogan told a group of journalists upon returning from a visit to Azerbaijan.

"What will we do if the United States does not do its part in the fight against terrorism? We will get by on our own," he said.