Ankara vows to proceed operations in northern Syria as fears develop over an assault on the Kurdish-held border city of Kobane.
Turkiye has hit again at claims by the USA that it agreed to a ceasefire with Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, and has vowed to proceed working to clear them from the territory – a navy operation that was launched after the autumn of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
A senior Turkish defence official on Thursday rubbished claims made by US State Division spokesperson Matthew Miller {that a} Washington-brokered ceasefire between Turkish-backed rebels and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) across the Syrian metropolis of Manbij had been prolonged till the tip of this week.
The SDF is supported by Washington in its combat in opposition to ISIL, however Ankara views it as a “terrorist organisation”, alleging hyperlinks with the outlawed Kurdistan Staff’ Social gathering (PKK), which has waged a four-decade armed rise up on Turkish soil.
On Thursday, the Turkish official described Miller’s assertion as “a slip of the tongue”, saying it was “out of the query” for Turkiye to speak to the SDF, a gaggle spearheaded by the Individuals’s Safety Models (YPG), which is seen an extension of the PKK.
“Till the PKK/YPG terrorist organisation disarms and its international fighters depart Syria, our preparations and measures will proceed inside the scope of the combat in opposition to terrorism,” stated the official.
Turkiye regards the PKK, YPG and SDF as “terrorist” teams. The US and Turkiye’s Western allies additionally checklist the PKK as “terrorist”, however not the YPG and the SDF.
Renewed combating between Turkish-backed factions and Syrian Kurdish fighters comes greater than per week after fighters led by opposition group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) toppled Syria’s longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad.
Reporting from Istanbul, Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu stated that Turkiye believed it was as much as the brand new Syrian administration to take away “international fighters” – an allusion to PKK members of the YPG – from its territory.
“Turkiye considers all these PKK ranks inside the YPG as international fighters and the Turkish international minister stated these international fighters … inside the opposition factions ought to be out of Syria, particularly as there’s a new Syrian administration and a nationwide military is anticipated to be established,” she stated.
If the brand new administration was unable to take away international fighters from its territory, Turkiye may doubtlessly intervene, she added.
The Turkish official’s feedback got here as considerations grew over a doable Turkish assault on the Kurdish-held Syrian border city of Kobane, also called Ain al-Arab, some 50km (30 miles) northeast of Manbij.
US President-elect Donald Trump described the toppling of al-Assad as an “unfriendly takeover” by Turkiye, which had aligned itself with a number of of the opposition teams that led the lightning offensive on Damascus.
Chatting with Al Jazeera on Wednesday, Turkiye’s Overseas Minister Hakan Fidan rejected Trump’s feedback, saying it will be “a grave mistake” to explain the present occasions in Syria as a takeover by Turkiye.
