Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during an award ceremony in Ankara, Turkey, Jan. 22, 2017. Turkey will not take a step back from its operation against the People's Protection Units (YPG) in 's Afrin, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday. (Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya)

ANKARA, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Turkey will not take a step back from its operation against the People's Protection Units (YPG) in 's Afrin, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday.

"There is no stepping back from Afrin," Erdogan said on an award ceremony in Ankara on Monday, as Operation Olive Branch entered its third day.

Turkey had spoken with  and the U.S. before the operation, but couldn't convince the U.S. of something, Erdogan said without further detail.

He reiterated that the operation in Afrin will not be over before objectives are accomplished in the field, "just like the Euphrates Shield Operation" in mid-2016.

The Turkish military and the allied Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel fighters launched "Operation Olive Branch" on Saturday, opening a new front in Syria's seven-year-long war.