Turkey is determined to eliminate the “terror corridor” in northern Syria and “makes no distinction between terrorist groups,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Jan. 8, adding that Turkey’s preparations to eradicate ISIL in Syria’s north “together with other terrorist organizations” are underway. Hurriyet reports.
Very soon, we will act on neutralizing terrorist groups in Syria, and we will take out other terror groups that might try to prevent us from doing this,” Erdoğan said, addressing his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmakers in parliament.
The president said Turkey would confront the YPG in the same way that it will take on ISIL. “For Turkey, there is no difference between the PKK, YPG, PYD or Daesh,” the president said, using the Arabic name for ISIL.
“If they are terrorists, we will do what is necessary no matter where they come from,” he noted.
Erdoğan’s comments came shortly after U.S. national security adviser John Bolton held more than two hours of talks in the Turkish capital with presidential adviser İbrahim Kalın in a key meeting focusing on the surprise U.S. decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.
The president rebuked Washington’s national security adviser on Jan. 8 for demanding that Turkey does not harm Kurdish militants in Syria, accusing him of complicating U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to withdraw U.S. troops.