Erdoğan signals new military offensive into northern Syria

Photo: AA

"We will soon take new steps to complete the project we started, to have secure territories of 30 km in depth along our southern borders," said Turkey's president and Justice and Development Party Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said during a Cabinet meeting yesterday (May 23).

Erdoğan signaling a new incursion into north Syria did not provide further details about the operation.

"The operation would begin after Turkey's military, intelligence, and security forces complete their preparations," he said and added that "they will discuss these issues in detail in our National Security Council meeting on Thursday."

Erdoğan previously said that Turkey was planning to send back one million refugees to the "safe zones" that are under Turley's control in Syria.

The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) have launched four major offensives into northern Syria — "Operation Euphrates Shield" in 2016, "Operation Olive Branch" in 2018, "Operation Peace Spring" in 2019, and "Operation Spring Shield" in 2020.

The area targeted by the proposed military operation, also known as Rojava, is controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

SDF is the defense force of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and is an umbrella group that includes the People's Protection Units (YPG), a Kurdish armed group.

Turkey sees the SDF and the YPG as extensions of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Syria.

Turkey has also been carrying out a military operation against the PKK in Iraq's Kurdistan Region since mid-April. (TB/VK)