NATO does not intend to launch a war against Turkey in the Middle East.

Axar.az reports this was quoted by US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper as commenting on Turkey's "Spring Peace" anti-terrorist operation in northern Syria.

"We cannot begin the war in Turkey in the Middle East with our long-standing NATO ally - with us - from Korea to Afghanistan. This issue is not on the agenda for us," the Pentagon leader said.

Esper also expressed concern that the situation could be "complicated" in northern Syria. "At the moment, we are working on the safe withdrawal of at least 1,000 of our troops from northern Syria. I cannot talk about the details of the evacuation plan of our troops, because the situation changes there every hour."