Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on January 7 issued threats against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), a group believed to be linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Turkey and Western countries consider "terrorists".
Members of the YPG-led SDF in the Syrian city of Hasakah in December 2024
Mr. Fidan warned that if the YPG did not meet Türkiye's conditions and the new government in Syria did not resolve the issue, Türkiye "will do what is necessary" which is a "military operation".
Mr Fidan demanded that the YPG disband, that fighters from Türkiye, Iraq and Iran leave Syria immediately and that YPG members lay down their arms and join the forces of the new government. "This is for a bloodless and problem-free transition," Mr Fidan stressed.
HTS-led opposition forces toppled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a lightning campaign in late 2024. Turkish-backed militias in Syria also began attacking Kurdish forces around the same time.
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, previously known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, told media over the weekend that Kurdish forces should join the national army.
Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan said talks between Damascus and the YPG were ongoing and needed to be given time, but also warned the YPG about the capabilities of the new government: "The government in Damascus is not afraid of war. They took Damascus by fighting. If you (the YPG) do not want a military operation in the region, from us or from the new government in Syria, the conditions for this are clear."
The YPG is the core of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed coalition that has played a key role in the fight against the Islamic State (IS). The SDF still runs prisons holding IS members in Syria, but Fidan said Türkiye had the capacity to take over if Damascus failed.
Since 2016, Türkiye has carried out successive ground operations in Syria to push Kurdish forces away from its border. Commenting on the possibility of launching a new operation despite the US-backed YPG, Mr. Fidan said: "We have done it in Afrin, Ras al-Ayn and Tal Abyad. This is what our national security requires. We have no other choice."
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tho-nhi-ky-doa-dua-quan-danh-nguoi-kurd-tai-syria-18525010809033103.htm
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