Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned that Türkiye would launch a counterterrorism operation against the PKK’s Syrian offshoot YPG if the terrorist group’s leadership refuses to dissolve itself.
“We will do what’s necessary, and it is a military operation,” Fidan told a live broadcast on CNN Türk.
He noted that Türkiye has repeatedly said that the PKK/YPG terrorists must disband themselves if they want a peaceful transition in Syria.
Fidan continued by saying that PKK/YPG fighters and leaders who joined the terrorist group from other countries must leave Syria.
The next step would be for the terrorist group to disarm and join the newly established army.
“This is a bloodless, problem-free transition,” Fidan added.
“The ultimatum we gave them (the YPG) through the Americans is obvious,” Fidan said.
The foreign minister also said Türkiye had the capability to take over the management of prisons and detention camps holding Daesh terrorists in Syria if the new leadership was unable to do so.
Ankara has 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.
The terrorist group is responsible for more than 40,000 deaths in Türkiye, including women and children.
The PKK/YPG has occupied swathes of northern Syria, including oil-rich areas, since 2015, with the help of the U.S. Washington calls the group its main ally in the fight against Daesh, much to Ankara’s chagrin.
Türkiye says the YPG/PKK is on par with Daesh and should have no presence in the new Syria.
While it has fought the PKK in northern Iraq for over 20 years, Ankara has mounted multiple operations against the YPG in Syria since 2016.