World Bulletin / News Desk

A ground operation in Syria's Afrin has "actively" begun, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.

Addressing the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party's sixth annual provincial congress in western city of Kutahya, Erdogan said an operation in Manbij in Syria will come after Afrin because "promises made to Turkey have not been kept."

The president made it clear that just changing names of terror groups would not satisfy Turkey.

"The PKK, YPG, PYD are all the same; changing names does not change the fact that they are terror organizations," he said.

"They are playing games in Syria in their own way, by changing the terror organization's name.

"Who are you kidding? This same organization's name is PKK, PYD, YPG."

He criticized the United States for working with the PKK, an organization which is in the terrorist list of the U.S. and the European Union.

"They know it really well. They are trying their best to deceive Turkey and the world."

Erdogan also said Turkey will "clear terrorism that tries to encircle the country up to Iraqi border".