Türkiye’s air operation in northern Iraq and Syria to clear the regions of terrorists is” just the morning,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said, adding that the country will launch a ground operation in Syria “when accessible.”
“Our operations with aircraft, ordnance, and UCAVs(unmanned combat upstanding vehicles) are just the morning,” Erdogan told the Justice and Development(AK) Party group meeting in the capital Ankara on Wednesday.
“We’ll come down hard on the terrorists with a land operation at the most accessible time,” Erdogan said.
Early Sunday, Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Sword, the across-border upstanding crusade against the terror group YPG/PKK which has illegal lairs across the Iraqi and Syrian borders where they plan attacks on Turkish soil.
The country’s air operation followed a YPG/PKK terror attack on November 13 on Istanbul’s crowded Istiklal Avenue that killed six people and left 81 injured.
Lodging out terrorists
Erdogan said Türkiye has the power to catch and discipline terrorists outside and outdoors borders who are involved in attacks against the country and the nation and stressed that Ankara is more determined than ever to secure its southern border.
Türkiye has remained faithful to its pledges regarding the borders of Syria, Erdogan added, saying “If our interlocutors can not fulfill the conditions of the agreement, we’ve the right to take care of ourselves.”
He added that Iraqi and Syrian administrations shouldn’t feel uneasy with the operation since the country’s only aim is to cover the security of its nation, as well as the people of the neighbouring countries.
“No bone can help or stand up against us to draw the security line to the place where it should be, where these attacks on our borders and our citizens continue,” Erdogan said.
Forces who gave assurances that Türkiye will face no trouble from areas under their control have failed to keep their pledges, he stressed.
“Our communication to those who are still trying to bring Türkiye to its knees with insidious styles is clear ‘You’ll noway succeed’,” Erdogan said.
Asked about a possible meeting with Syria’s Bashar al Assad, Erdogan said “There’s no resentment in politics. Ultimately, the way will be taken under the most favourable conditions.”
