Erdogan considering military operations in Iraq and Syria — RT World News
The Turkish President said: “Wherever there is a terrorist, we will find him and eliminate him.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the Turkish army is preparing to carry out operations to achieve complete security along the country's borders.
In January, Turkey carried out a series of air strikes and ground operations in northern Iraq and northern Syria, targeting members and facilities of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which Ankara considers a terrorist organization. The escalation came after nine Turkish soldiers were killed in clashes with Kurdistan Workers' Party fighters.
The goal of the government in Ankara is to ensure Türkiye's freedom from… “The dark shadow of terrorism” Erdogan said during a speech on Monday.
In order to achieve this, He added: “We will fully ensure the security of our Iraqi borders by this summer and we will certainly complete our unfinished business in Syria.” He said.
The Turkish President said: Wherever there is a terrorist, we will find him and eliminate him “We will never allow these hired killer gangs, now gasping for breath, beleaguered, and on the verge of extinction, to revive and become a burden on our nation again.”
Earlier this month, Hurriyet newspaper reported that the Turkish army intends to launch a large-scale ground offensive in northern Iraq against the PKK. According to the outlet, the government in Baghdad approved the military operation on its territory.
High-level officials from the two countries held a security summit in Baghdad last week, saying in a joint statement He added, “The Kurdistan Workers' Party poses a security threat to Turkey and Iraq, and that the presence of the aforementioned organization on Iraqi territory is a violation of the Iraqi constitution.”
Turkish forces have been deployed in northern Syria since 2016 amid conflict in the country with the stated aim of fighting the Islamic State (ISIS) and other terrorist groups.
The authorities in Damascus condemned the incursion carried out by Ankara without its approval, describing it as a terrorist act “aggression” Against the Syrian state and 'flagrant violation' Of the country's sovereignty.
Erdogan, who has joined Western calls for regime change in Damascus throughout the conflict, said last summer that he was open to a meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, with the aim of mending relations. However, he said that the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syria's Idlib province should not be a precondition for the talks.
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