Turkey Threatens Military Op against Syrian Kurds, Blasts US Presence in Syria

By Staff, Agencies

Turkey has threatened to launch an offensive against the Kurdish People's Protection Units [YPG] in Syria, which it accuses of being aligned with the homegrown Kurdistan Workers' Party [PKK], if the militant group fails to agree to Ankara's demands in the wake of the departure of Bashar al-Assad.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan made the remarks in an interview with the CNN Turk TV channel on Tuesday, stressing that the ruling Hayat Tahrir al-Sham [HTS] administration in Syria must address the issue of the YPG’s presence.

“We will do what's necessary” if the YPG does not meet Turkish demands and Damascus was unable to address the issue, Fidan said.

When asked what that might entail, he said a “military operation”.

He went on to say that Turkey believes the HTS administration has the power to battle the YPG on its own, but added that this may take time as a transition period is underway in Damascus.

Since the departure of Assad, Ankara has demanded that the YPG disband, its non-Syrian militants and foreign terrorist fighters leave Syria or be repatriated to their countries of origin, and its leaders turn themselves in.

Fidan further noted that the United States supported the YPG for various reasons, including purportedly confronting the Daesh terrorist group, when it was present in Syria.

However, he said, many of these reasons no longer exist, adding “The ultimatum we gave them [the YPG] through the Americans is obvious.”

Ankara views the YPG as a terrorist organization and the Syrian branch of the outlawed PKK, which has been fighting for an autonomous region inside Turkey since 1984.

For years, the US policy has relied on collaborating with Kurdish militants in northern Syria with a goal of maintaining some leverage over the future of the conflict.

Armed militants, led by HTS, took control of Damascus on December 8 and declared an end to Assad’s rule in a surprise offensive that was launched from their stronghold in northwestern Syria, reaching the capital in less than two weeks.

Turkey, which shares a 911-kilometer [566-mile] long frontier with Syria, has been a main backer of opposition groups aiming to topple Assad since 2011.

While Turkish officials have strongly rejected claims of any involvement in the anti-government offensive that led to Assad's fall, observers believe that the offensive, which appears to be aligned with Turkey’s long-time goals, could not have gone ahead without Ankara’s consent.