Security in the region that the Kurds dominate is overseen by the armed Syrian Democratic Forces, which include the People’s Protection Units (YPG). Turkey classifies the YPG as a terrorist organization and says the group is tied to the Kurdistan Workers Party, which has been fighting an insurgency in Turkey since the 1980s.
“The only fate awaiting those who choose terror and violence is to be buried in the ground with their weapons. I am saying this openly, no power can prevent this,” Erdoğan said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday that the YPG’s eradication in Syria was “imminent,” and that Ankara would not allow the group to maintain a presence in the country. Turkey previously made several incursions into Syrian territory during the country’s civil war that began in 2011.
Turkey isn’t the only country bordering Syria expressing security concerns. Since Assad’s ouster, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes on targets in Syria and has seized control of a demilitarized buffer zone established in a 1974 ceasefire. Critics have accused Israel of breaching the ceasefire deal and attempting to extend its control over the border region.
