Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke by phone today with Turkish Minister of National Defense Yasar Guler to discuss national security and defense-related matters of mutual interest.
Following today's incident, Secretary Austin also urged de-escalation in northern Syria and the importance of maintaining strict adherence to de-confliction protocols and communication through established military-to-military channels. Both leaders reiterated our shared commitment to defeating ISIS. The Secretary acknowledged Türkiye's legitimate security concerns and affirmed his commitment to close coordination between the United States and Türkiye to prevent any risk to U.S. forces or the Global Coalition's Defeat-ISIS Mission in northeast Syria exclusively in support of the campaign to defeat ISIS.
