Despite US Warnings, Erdogan Signals Operation in Syria to Happen “Very Soon”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Ankara is keen to conduct another military operation deep into the Syrian Kurdish territories and that it will happen “very soon”.
Turkey has been pushing for such a military incursion for months, arguing that the presence of the Kurdish forces who make up the majority of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syrian territories pose threat to the national security of Turkey.
“Turkey has the right to eliminate all threats against its national security… God willing, we will carry the process started with (previous offensives into Syria) to the next stage very soon,” Erdogan said in a speech from Ankara.
He said that Turkey believes it will have to pay a higher price if it does not act now.
The comments came only hours after US Defence Secretary Mark Esper warned Turkey against any “unilateral” move in Syria.
“What we’re going to do is prevent unilateral incursions that would upset, again, these mutual interests … the United States, Turkey and the SDF share with regard to northern Syria”, Esper said. Source