Erdogan: "Kurdish fighters will be buried if they don't lay down their weapons"
World
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a stern warning to Kurdish fighters in Syria, stating that they must either lay down their weapons or face destruction.
“Destructive terrorists will either give up their weapons or be buried with them in Syrian soil. We will eliminate the terrorist organization trying to build a wall of blood between us and our Kurdish brothers,” Erdogan said during his address to party members in parliament.
Turkey considers the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) and its Syrian branch, the YPG, as terrorist organizations. The PKK is also designated as a terrorist group by NATO allies, including the US and the EU. Ankara has repeatedly called on the US and other nations to stop supporting the YPG.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense recently reported that 21 PKK-YPG militants were neutralized during military operations in northern Syria and Iraq.
Last week, SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) commander Mazloum Abdi, for the first time, acknowledged the presence of PKK militants in Syria. He stated that these militants had assisted in the fight against ISIS and were ready to return home if a ceasefire agreement with Turkey could be reached, which is Ankara’s main demand.
Erdogan also announced that Turkey would soon open its consulate in Aleppo and that Syrian refugees temporarily residing in Turkey would be able to return to their homeland voluntarily.
Turkey considers the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) and its Syrian branch, the YPG, as terrorist organizations. The PKK is also designated as a terrorist group by NATO allies, including the US and the EU. Ankara has repeatedly called on the US and other nations to stop supporting the YPG.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense recently reported that 21 PKK-YPG militants were neutralized during military operations in northern Syria and Iraq.
Last week, SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) commander Mazloum Abdi, for the first time, acknowledged the presence of PKK militants in Syria. He stated that these militants had assisted in the fight against ISIS and were ready to return home if a ceasefire agreement with Turkey could be reached, which is Ankara’s main demand.
Erdogan also announced that Turkey would soon open its consulate in Aleppo and that Syrian refugees temporarily residing in Turkey would be able to return to their homeland voluntarily.
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