Turkiye threatens military action against Kurdish forces in Syria

If Syrian Kurdish forces don’t accept Ankara’s demands for a “bloodless” transition following Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow last month, Turkiye has threatened to launch a military operation against them.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told CNN Turk television late on Tuesday that “we will do what’s necessary” if the People’s Protection Units (YPG) fail to meet Ankara’s demands. As its southern neighbor stabilises, Turkey aims to become a major force.

Fidan said “a military operation” could be on the cards, although he added that the new Syrian leadership, for which Turkiye has voiced support, has the power to battle the YPG on its own.

The possibility of Turkiye intervening directly against Kurdish forces in Syria, which are alleged by Ankara to have links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), was raised by Al-Assad’s overthrow by opposition rebel forces last month.

The Turkish government has faced decades of opposition from the PKK. Turkiye, as well as the United States and the European Union, has long considered it a “terrorist organisation”. The conflict is estimated to have killed more than 40, 000 people.

The YPG’s presence in Syria is still at the heart of Turkiye’s security strategy because it views the two groups as being innately connected and agnostic on ethno-nationalist separatism.

“Those international fighters who came from Turkiye, Iran and Iraq must leave Syria immediately. We are waiting, according to Fidan, who told CNN Turk, because we don’t see any preparation or intention in this direction at the moment.

The rebels launched an offensive on November 27 that ended al-Assad just 11 days later, and the armed conflict between the Turkish-backed factions in northern Syria resumed with Kurdish forces.

Give it some time, please.

The new interim Syrian leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group has long had ties with Turkiye, told Al Arabiya TV on Sunday that the Kurdish-led forces should be integrated into the national army.

Ankara expected the new leadership to address the YPG issue, according to Fidan, who met al-Sharaa in Damascus last month. However, he added that the organization is prepared to continue holding talks with Damascus and the YPG.

The PKK leadership must leave Syria, and terrorist fighters from other countries must do so. The remaining cadres must lay down their weapons and join the new system, this is for a bloodless and problem-free transition”.

When asked if Turkiye would continue to support the YPG in Syria, Fidan responded, “We did it in Afrin, Ras al-Ain, and Tal Abyad,” referring to locations in northern Syria that Turkiye has targeted.