President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Türkiye has broken and dismantled the terrorist corridor that was being formed in northern Syria from four different points, as he warned the PKK/YPG to lay down their arms or face elimination.
“Through our cross-border operations, We have broken and dismantled the terrorist corridor that was being formed in northern Syria from four different points,” Erdoğan told a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Aydın province on Friday. He noted that Türkiye has destroyed the terrorists at home and successfully established a wall to protect itself against attacks from the PKK terrorist group’s headquarters in Mount Qandil in northern Iraq across the border.
“The terrorists have only two options: either renounce terrorism, lay down their arms, or face inevitable elimination,” he said.
Erdoğan also said that PKK/YPG terrorists are “cornered” in Syria, thanks to the anti-regime forces that liberated Damascus from years of oppression under the Assad regime. He noted that the terrorists are now looking for new sponsors.
Ankara considers the YPG as linked to the PKK, which has waged a decadeslong terror campaign in Türkiye. The U.S. has called the PKK/YPG its primary ally in the fight against Daesh for over a decade now.
Türkiye has repeatedly said the PKK/YPG must disband themselves if they want a peaceful transition in Syria.
It has also long been bothered by the U.S. support of the PKK/YPG in Syria, considering the PKK is proscribed as a terrorist group by the European Union, the U.S. and Türkiye.