Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Jan. 29 vowed to start a new military operation inside Syria when necessary. Hurriyet reports.
“When the time comes, the necessary actions will be taken both in Manbij and east of the Euphrates,” state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Akar as saying during a visit to a military facility in Turkey’s Central Anatolian province of Eskişehir.
“The only target of the Turkish Armed Forces is terrorists,” Akar added, referring to preparations for a military operation against the YPG in northern Syria.
Ankara deems the YPG as an offshoot of the illegal PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. However, the U.S. has supported and armed the YPG in the fight against ISIL in the northern and eastern provinces of Syria.