Türkiye believes Syria‘s new rulers, including the Syrian National Army (SNA) armed group which Ankara backs, will drive YPG/PKK terrorists from all territory they occupy in northeastern Syria, Defence Minister Yaşar Güler said on Sunday.
Türkiye regards the YPG as an extension of the bloody-minded PKK terrorists who have been waging an armed campaign against the Turkish state for 40 years and are deemed terrorists by Ankara, Washington, and the European Union.
The YPG spearheads an alliance, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is backed by the United States and controls territory in northeastern Syria. Since the fall of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago, Türkiye-backed Syrian armed groups have fought against the SDF, seizing the city of Manbij.
“We believe that the new leadership in Syria and the Syrian National Army, which is an important part of its army, along with the Syrian people, will free all territories occupied by terrorist organisations,” Güler said during a visit to Turkish troops on the Syrian border with military commanders.
“We will also take every necessary measure with the same determination until all terrorist elements beyond our borders are cleared,” he said in a video released by his ministry.
Ankara has demanded the YPG/PKK terrorists disband and has called on Washington to withdraw its support. The U.S. military acknowledged last week it has 2,000 troops on the ground in Syria, twice as many as it had said previously.
On Saturday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Türkiye would do “whatever it takes” to ensure its security if Syria’s new administration was unable to address its concerns.