Erdoğan vows perpetrators of E. Ghouta massacre will pay 'heavy price'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday vowed those behind the killings of civilians in the Syrian rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta would pay a "heavy price", after a chemical assault killed dozens.

"I curse those who carried out this massacre. Whoever has done this, the perpetrators will be brought to account and certainly pay a heavy price," Erdoğan told a meeting of his party in parliament.

The Turkish foreign ministry at the weekend said there was a "strong suspicion" that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime was responsible for the attack.

"I spoke with Putin yesterday (Monday), talks will continue today and tomorrow," he said.

The Turkish leader on Monday expressed "concern" to Putin over the attacks in Eastern Ghouta, the Turkish presidency said.

Rescue workers said dozens of civilians had been killed in a chlorine gas attack on Douma.

Ankara and Moscow have been on the two opposing sides of the war in Syria but despite their differences, both countries have worked closely in recent months for a political solution in Syria.

Assad regime forces struck targets in the Damascus suburb's Douma district on Saturday midnight using a poisonous gas, which left at least 78 civilians dead, according to the White Helmets, a local civil defense agency.

- OPERATION IN AFRIN
Erdoğan said that a total of 4,071 terrorists have been "neutralized" since the start of the Operation Olive Branch in Syria's Afrin region.

"The number of terrorists neutralized in Afrin as of this morning is 4,071. In northern Iraq, 337 [PKK] terrorists have been neutralized," Erdoğan said.

"Our fight [against terrorism] will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated," he added.

Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch on Jan. 20 to clear YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorist groups from Afrin amid growing threats from the region. On March 18, Turkish-backed troops liberated Afrin town center, which had been a major hideout for the YPG/PKK since 2012.

According to the Turkish General Staff, Operation Olive Branch was aimed at establishing security and stability along Turkey's borders and the region as well as protecting Syrians from terrorist cruelty and oppression.

In his remarks, the president also criticized demonstrations organized in YPG/PKK terror group in European countries, saying that Europe has become a "playground for terrorists".

"We are tired and disgusted at confrontation with terrorists in the mountains and streets of Europe," said Erdoğan.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- waged a terror campaign against Turkey for more than 30 years and has been responsible for the death of nearly 40,000 people.

More than 1,200 Turkish security personnel and civilians, including a number of women and children, have been killed since July 2015 alone when the group resumed its armed campaign against the country.