(CNN) US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has expressed "concern" about Turkey's offensive against Kurdish militia in northern Syria, urging restraint but stopping short of demanding an end to the operation. The Turkish operation is targeting the Kurdish-held enclave of Afrin, to which tens of thousands of Syrians have fled from other parts of the country. "We recognize and fully appreciate Turkey's legitimate right to protect its own citizens from terrorist elements that may be launching attacks against Turkish citizens and Turkish soil from Syria," Tillerson told journalists, alongside his UK counterpart Boris Johnson. There is growing international concern that the Turkish offensive could ignite yet another humanitarian crisis in Syria. Turkey's NATO allies don't want an open-ended Turkish offensive that could spur another refugee exodus or give ISIS the opportunity to regroup.

Source: CNN January 22, 2018 15:52 UTC