Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Işık said Ankara's military operations in northern Syria have slowed down to avoid civilian casualties in a push for the Islamic State-held city of al-Bab. He spoke to the a private news channel on Friday.
Işık also accused the United States of what he called a "sincerity problem" in assisting Turkish forces and limiting the aid to a 20-kilometer (12.5-mile) zone.
Turkey and the region are paying the price for the United States choosing the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia as a partner in the fight against Islamic State, he said.
He said the battle for al-Bab is an urban fight and that troops need to "make sure" IS-held hostages "are not harmed."
Turkey sent troops and tanks into northern Syria in August to clear a border area from the IS group and also curb the territorial advances of Syrian Kurdish forces in the region. However, the rapid progress of the early stages has slowed down in the town of al-Bab.
