Turkey will do “whatever it takes” to ensure its security if the new Syrian administration cannot address Ankara’s concerns regarding U.S.-allied Kurdish groups, which it views as terrorist organizations, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated on Saturday.
Turkey considers the YPG, the militant group leading the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to be an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants who have waged an insurgency against the Turkish state for 40 years. The PKK is designated as a terrorist group by Ankara, Washington, and the European Union.
Hostilities have escalated since Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow less than two weeks ago, with Turkey and its Syrian allies capturing the city of Manbij from the SDF on December 9. Assad’s downfall has left Kurdish factions struggling to retain political gains made over the last 13 years.
In an interview with France 24, Fidan emphasized that Turkey’s preferred option was for the new Syrian administration to address the issue in accordance with Syria’s territorial unity, sovereignty, and integrity, adding that the YPG should be disbanded immediately. “If it doesn’t happen, we have to protect our own national security,” he said. When asked if that included military action, Fidan replied: “whatever it takes.”
Fidan also responded to comments made by SDF commander Mazloum Abdi about a possible negotiated solution with Ankara, suggesting that the group should seek such an agreement with Damascus, as there is “a new reality” there now. “The new reality, hopefully, they will address these issues, but at the same time, YPG/PKK, they know what we want. We don’t want to see any form of military threat to ourselves. Not the present one, but also the potential one,” he added.
Turkey, along with its Syrian allies, has launched several cross-border offensives against the YPG-led SDF in northern Syria, while consistently demanding that its NATO ally, the U.S., stop supporting the fighters. The U.S.-backed SDF played a significant role in defeating Islamic State militants from 2014 to 2017 with U.S. air support, and still guards fighters in prison camps. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that the Islamic State could try to re-establish capabilities in this period.
Fidan criticized the recent increase in U.S. troops in Syria, calling it the “wrong decision” and claiming the battle against ISIS was used as an “excuse” to continue support for the SDF. “The fight against ISIS, there is only one job: to keep ISIS prisoners in prisons, that’s it,” he said.
Fidan also stated that the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which helped overthrow Assad in Damascus, had “excellent cooperation” with Ankara in the past through intelligence sharing to battle Islamic State and al-Qaeda. He further noted that Turkey is opposed to any foreign military bases in Syria, including Russian ones, but emphasized that the decision is ultimately up to the Syrian people.
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