Already suffering heavy casualties in their fight against ISIS, the U. S.-backed Kurds are bracing for Turkish attacks “within a few days.”
Turkey has begun preparing a new military offensive in Syria, where it has opposed Kurdish fighters backed by the United States.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday that the armed forces “will begin our operations to save the east of the Euphrates from the separatist terrorist organization within a few days,” referring to an upcoming campaign against the People’s Protection Units (YPG). The Syrian Kurdish militia has formed a crucial part of the U. S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces’ fight against the Islamic State militant group (ISIS), but has been accused by Ankara of harboring ties to banned Kurdish separatist organizations at war with the Turkish state.
As part of the Syrian Democratic Forces, YPG members fight alongside U. S. troops battling ISIS, but this has not stopped certain Syrian rebels backed by Turkey from targeting them. Erdogan offered his assurances that the U. S. military would be spared.
“Our target is never American soldiers, but members of the terrorist organizations operating in the region, I also underline this point in particular,” Erdogan added. “We are committed to transforming the east of the Euphrates into peaceful and livable places, such as the other parts of Syria that we have secured.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the Turkish Defense Industry Summit at the presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on December 12. Turkey has accused the U. S. of supporting terrorism through its backing of Kurdish groups considered part of a separatist war at home by Ankara. OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENCY OF THE TURKISH REPUBLIC
Turkey and the U. S. both entered the protracted war in Syria as sponsors of the 2011 uprising that led to rebels and jihadis battling to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
