WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States’ top general spoke with his Turkish counterpart on Wednesday, the U.S. military said, as Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey’s air operations against a Kurdish militia in northern Syria were only the beginning and it would launch a land operation when convenient.

The U.S. military statement did not mention Syria by name, but said U.S. General Mark Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “discussed several items of mutual strategic interest.”

The statement added that Turkey was a key NATO ally and “the

U.S. values its strategic bilateral relationship.”