Turkey’s Erdogan Considering Military Ops in Iraq and Syria

In January, Turkey carried out a series of airstrikes and ground operations in northern Iraq and northern Syria, targeting members and facilities of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party [PKK], which Ankara views as a terrorist organization.

Erdogan further claimed that “The goal of the government in Ankara is to make sure that Turkey is free from the dark shadow of terrorism.”

In order to achieve this, “we will completely guarantee the security of our Iraqi border by this summer and will definitely complete our unfinished business in Syria,” he stated.

“Wherever there is a terrorist, we’ll find and eliminate him,” the Turkish leader said, adding that the country “will absolutely not allow these hired killer gangs, who are now gasping for breath, cornered, and on the verge of extinction, to revive and become a burden on our nation again.”

Turkish forces have been occupying parts of northern Syria since 2016.

The authorities in Damascus condemned the incursion, which was carried out by Ankara without their consent, as an “aggression” against the Syrian state and “a blatant violation” of the country’s sovereignty.