Türkiye determined not to allow ‘terror corridor’ on southern border
Türkiye vows to take every necessary precaution decisively to prevent the presence and activity of any terrorist group in the region
TÜRKİYE will never allow the emergence of a “terror corridor” on its border, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar reiterated Friday.
Akar’s comments came a day after the National Security Council (MGK) underlined that Türkiye will not tolerate the presence and activities of any terrorist group in its region.
“We will never in any way allow the formation of a terror corridor or the activities of terrorists” on Türkiye’s southern border, Akar told reporters in the northwestern province of Çanakkale.
A total of 491 terrorists have been eliminated so far in Türkiye’s ongoing crossborder campaign against the PKK terrorist group’s Syrian branch, the YPG, he said, adding that only terrorist groups were targeted in the operation.
“We have also done everything that needs to be done so far not to harm the coalition forces and civilians. We will continue to do so,” Akar said.
Calling on all our interlocutors to cut off their ties and not to support terrorists, he stressed Türkiye respects Iraq and Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereign rights.
Because the fight against Daesh cannot be “done like this. The only army fighting hand-to-hand against Daesh is Türkiye’s army. And it is the Turkish army that neutralized more than 4,000 terrorists,” he said.
In a statement released after the MGK meeting that lasted more than three hours and was chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the capital Ankara, the council also said: “The existence and activity of any terrorist group will not be allowed in our region, and every necessary step will be taken decisively for this.”
To ensure the defense and security of the Turkish nation and its borders, the only target in the operations, which are being carried out along its southern borders in line with the right of self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, are terrorist groups, it said.
The council was briefed on the counterterrorism operations and their success both at home and abroad and additional measures were discussed during the meeting, the statement said.
Recently, Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Sword, a cross-border aerial campaign against the PKK terrorist group and its Syrian wing, the YPG, which have illegal hideouts across the Iraqi and Syrian borders where they plan attacks on Turkish soil.
The country’s air operation followed a PKK/YPG terrorist attack on Nov. 13 on Istanbul’s crowded İstiklal Street that killed six people and left 81 injured.
The Turkish Defense Ministry said the operation was carried out in line with the right of self-defense under Article 51 of the U.N. Charter.
After the air operation was launched, President Erdoğan also signaled a ground operation in northern Iraq and northern Syria to eliminate the terrorist threat, adding: “This is not limited to just an air operation.”
The president specified northern Syria’s YPG-controlled Tal Rifaat, Manbij and Ain al-Arab (Kobani) regions as possible targets to clear of terrorists.
The Syrian National Army (SNA) is ready for the anticipated ground operation in northern Syria, one of the commanders of the army, Mustafa Sejari, said on Thursday.
“It can be said that we have completed the necessary military and field preparations and preparations to start the anticipated military operation,” Sejari told Daily Sabah in an exclusive interview.
“We are waiting for the appropriate time and zero hour to start advancing and ground control. Our forces in the Syrian National Army are ready to carry out the ground operation alongside the allied forces in the Republic of Türkiye,” he added.
The Turkish leader has threatened a new military operation into northern Syria since May and upped those threats in the wake of this month’s attack. Erdoğan has repeatedly called for a 30-kilometer (18-mile) safe zone to protect Türkiye against cross-border attacks from Syrian territory.
“We know the identity, location and track record of the terrorists. We also know very well who patronizes, arms and encourages terrorists,” Erdoğan also recently said, referring to the U.S. support for the YPG.
The PKK is a designated terrorist organization in the U.S., Türkiye and the European Union, and Washington’s support for its Syrian affiliate has been a major strain on bilateral relations with Ankara. The PKK/ YPG has controlled much of northeastern Syria after the forces of Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad withdrew in 2012.
The U.S. primarily partnered with PKK/ YPG terrorists in northeastern Syria in its fight against the Daesh terrorist group. On the other hand, Türkiye strongly opposed the PKK/YPG’s presence in northern Syria.
Under the pretext of fighting Daesh, the U.S. has provided military training and given truckloads of military support to the PKK/YPG, despite its NATO ally’s security concerns. Underlining that one cannot support one terrorist group to defeat another, Türkiye has conducted its counterterrorism operations throughout, removing a significant number of terrorists from the region.
Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful counterterrorism operations against terrorist groups to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).