Turkish army chief meets US counterpart in Poland

Turkish Chief of Staff Gen. Yaşar Güler met his American counterpart in Polish capital of Warsaw, a U.S. military official said on Sunday.

Güler met with Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Saturday on the sidelines of NATO Military Committee meetings that run from Sept. 28-30.

In a statement, Col. Patrick S. Ryder, a spokesman for the Joint Staff, said Dunford congratulated Güler on his appointment as chief of the Turkish army.

According to statement, the U.S. army chief also expressed his desire to build on the positive relationship forged with the previous commander, Gen. Hulusi Akar, who is now defense minister.

"The two leaders discussed security and stability in Manbij, as well as ways to strengthen the U.S.-Turkey military-to-military relationship," the statement read.

In June, the Turkish and U.S. forces began patrols in northern Syrian city of Manbij in line with a deal focusing on the withdrawal of the PKK-affiliated YPG terror group from the city in order to stabilize the region.