Mattis says Turkey gave US notice about airstrikes in Syria
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U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says Turkey gave the U.S. military advance notice of its airstrikes against Kurdish targets in northern Syria.
Mattis defended Turkey, calling it a trusted NATO ally with "legitimate security concerns" about Syria.
Speaking to reporters traveling with him overnight Sunday to Jakarta, Indonesia, Mattis said diplomats are working on a solution to Turkey's armed confrontation with Syrian Kurds, who have been the key U.S. military ally in battling the Islamic State in Syria.
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He said the U.S. forces based in Syria had not been put at risk by the Turkish attacks, since U.S. troops are not based in that part of Syria.