International Minister Hakan Fidan threatens army motion towards PKK-linked YPG group in the event that they fail to satisfy Ankara’s calls for.
Turkiye has threatened to launch a army operation towards Kurdish forces in Syria except they settle for Ankara’s situations for a “cold” transition following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad final month.
International Minister Hakan Fidan informed CNN Turk tv late on Tuesday that “we are going to do what’s obligatory” if the People’s Protection Units (YPG) fail to satisfy Ankara’s calls for. Turkiye is searching for to make itself a key player as its southern neighbour stabilises.
Fidan stated “a army operation” may very well be on the playing cards, though he added that the brand new Syrian management, for which Turkiye has voiced help, has the facility to battle the YPG by itself.
Al-Assad’s overthrow by opposition rebel forces final month raised the prospect of Turkiye intervening instantly towards Kurdish forces in Syria, that are accused by Ankara of hyperlinks to the Kurdistan Employees’ Occasion (PKK).
The PKK has been battling the Turkish authorities for many years. Turkiye, in addition to the US and the European Union, has lengthy thought-about it a “terrorist organisation”. The battle is estimated to have killed greater than 40,000 individuals.
The presence of YPG in Syria stays central to Turkiye’s safety technique because it considers the 2 teams organically linked and adhering to the identical ethno-nationalist separatism.
“These worldwide fighters who got here from Turkiye, Iran and Iraq should depart Syria instantly. We see neither any preparation nor any intention on this path proper now and we’re ready,” Fidan informed CNN Turk.
Turkish-backed factions in northern Syria resumed their armed battle with Kurdish forces on the similar time that the rebels launched their November 27 offensive that ousted al-Assad simply 11 days later.
‘Give it a while’
The brand new interim Syrian chief, Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group has lengthy had ties with Turkiye, informed Al Arabiya TV on Sunday that the Kurdish-led forces ought to be built-in into the nationwide military.
Fidan, who met al-Sharaa in Damascus final month, stated Ankara anticipated the brand new management to handle the YPG concern, though he added that it is able to “give it a while” with talks between Damascus and the YPG ongoing.
“The terrorist fighters coming from worldwide nations should depart Syria, the PKK management should depart the nation. The remaining cadres should lay down their weapons and be a part of the brand new system, that is for a cold and problem-free transition.”
When requested if Turkiye would nonetheless intervene in Syria regardless of the US help for the YPG, Fidan stated: “We did it prior to now in Afrin, in Ras al-Ain and in Tal Abyad”, referring to areas in northern Syria that Turkiye has focused.
He stated Turkiye wouldn’t hesitate to do it once more. “That is what our nationwide safety requires. We don’t have some other possibility.”
