Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan issued a stark warning on Wednesday to Kurdish militants in Syria, saying they must lay down their weapons or face dire consequences. His remarks came amid ongoing hostilities between Turkey-backed Syrian fighters and Kurdish forces following the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month.
Erdogan’s comments, addressed to lawmakers from his ruling AK Party in parliament, reflect Ankara’s longstanding stance against the Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara considers to be an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the European Union. The PKK has been waging an insurgency against Turkey since 1984.
“The separatist murderers will either bid farewell to their weapons, or they will be buried in Syrian lands along with their weapons,” Erdogan declared. He emphasized that Turkey would eradicate what he described as a terrorist organization attempting to create a “wall of blood” between Turkey and its Kurdish population.
Recent events in Syria’s political scenery following the departure of Assad, have put the Kurdish groups in Syria on the defensive. Ankara has demanded that the Kurdish YPG militia, which is one of the largest components of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), has no role to play in Syria’s future. Erdogan repeated his demands for the disbanding of the YPG, and condemned continued foreign aid to the group.
Turkish defense ministry reported killing 21 YPG-PKK fighters in northern Syria and Iraq. SDF commander Mazloum Abdi, while speaking in a recent interview, admitted the presence of PKK fighters in Syria, but denied having any organized organizational ties.
Apart from military issues, Erdogan revealed that Turkey would soon be opening a consulate in Aleppo and predicted an increase in border traffic next summer with some Syrian migrants returning back home.
