Erdogan hints at military action against YPG

ISTANBUL: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted at possible retaliation against the Syrian-Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in a speech to Turkish business group TUSIAD on Thursday,.

Ankara considers the YPG a terrorist organization affiliated to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been waging a bloody decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.

Erdogan said during his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, he notified him that Turkey would “exercise its rights under the rules of engagement” without consulting anyone.

“We are facing a picture where terrorist organizations are constantly supported, strengthened and are confronting us. Turkey is not a country that will consent to such treatment,” Erdogan said.

Turkey refuses to take part in the anti-Daesh coalition’s impending Raqqa operation if the YPG participates.

The US considers the group a reliable and strong partner on the ground in its anti-Daesh efforts.

Last year, Turkey carried out Operation Euphrates Shield in northern Syria against Daesh and the YPG. Erdogan said Turkey would not hesitate to conduct similar operations when necessary.

Galip Dalay, senior associate fellow on Turkey and Kurdish affairs at Al-Jazeera Center for Studies, and research director at Al-Sharq Forum, told Arab News that if Erdogan carries out this threat, it will likely undermine the stability of the Raqqa operation.

But Dalay said he does not expect a sustained military operation similar to Euphrates Shield to be undertaken in other parts of Syria.