Damascus, May 26 : The Syrian Foreign Ministry has slammed Turkey's plan to create a safe zone in the northern part of the country as an "aggressive and colonial act". The Ministry said in a statement that the Turkish side aims to create an "explosive hotspot" inside Syria and continue to "arm and operate terrorist groups to use them against the Syrian people", Xinhua news agency reported. It pointed out that the practices of the Turkish forces on Syrian soil are "illegitimate and null", adding that such acts are "tantamount to war crimes". On Monday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country was planning to launch a new military operation in Syria in an effort to link up two areas already under Turkish control in the northern region near the Turkish border. He said the aim is to create a 30-km safe zone along the Turkish border with Syria. /IANS