Ankara hints at new ops on southern border
Turkey’s current and future military operations on its southern borders do not target its neighbors’ sovereignty but are necessary for Turkish security, Ankara says
TURKEY’S top security body hinted Thursday at a new military operation on the country’s southern border following recent statements from Turkish officials and clashes with PKK terrorists, underlining military operations against terrorist groups in the region are needed for national security.
“Current and future military operations being conducted to remove the terrorism threat on our southern borders do not target our neighbors’ territorial integrity and sovereignty in any way, but stem from national security needs,” the National Security Council (MGK) said in a statement.
These operations will “significantly contribute” to the peace and security of neighboring countries, it added.
The MGK statement followed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s declaration on Monday that Ankara would soon launch new military operations on its southern borders to expand 30-km (18-mile) deep safe zones and combat terrorist threats there.
In a three-hour meeting chaired by Erdoğan and attended by relevant ministers and commanders, operations and investigations against terrorist groups like the PKK and its Syrian branch YPG, the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and Daesh were discussed.
On Monday, President Erdoğan said Turkey would take steps to complete the remainder of a 30-kilometer safe zone along its southern border.
Turkey borders Syria and Iraq to its south, and has worked to eliminate existing terrorist bases and prevent new ones that would threaten its national security and the safety of locals across its borders.
Ankara has launched successive operations
against the PKK in northern Iraq since 2020, most recently Operation ClawLock in April to target PKK hideouts in Iraq’s Metina region. It was preceded by operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle, which were launched in 2020 to root out terrorists hiding in northern Iraq and plotting crossborder attacks in the Turkish territory.
Since 2016, Ankara has launched three successful counterterrorism operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of contiguous land controlled by the YPG/PKK and enable the peaceful settlement of residents, namely Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).
In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and European Union, has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
The MGK also called on countries harboring
terrorist groups and violating international law to drop this position and pay attention to Ankara’s security concerns, highlighting that Turkey fulfills its obligations in international organizations and alliances with the spirit of an ally and in accordance with the principle of pacta sunt servanda, meaning agreements must be kept.
As Sweden and Finland pursue NATO membership, Ankara has repeatedly called for the two countries to decisively cut off links with terror groups.
Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO last week, a decision spurred by Russia’s war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24. But Turkey, a longstanding member of the alliance, has voiced objections to the membership bids, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups.
The National Security Council also discussed the country’s ongoing anti-terror operations and other measures, said the statement.
CALL TO WASHINGTON
The United States should take action against the PKK terrorist group and its Syrian offshoot, the YPG, if it truly understands Turkey’s concerns as it claims, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also said Thursday as he criticized Washington for cooperating with terrorists.
Speaking to reporters on his way back from Israel after a groundbreaking meeting, Çavuşoğlu said the threat against Turkey in the Operation Peace Spring zone and other regions in northern Syria has increased.
“If threats are increasing then we’re obliged to take action against this,” the foreign minister said.
He continued by saying that U.S. officials claim to understand Turkey’s concerns but fail to take action.
He noted that Washington has failed to keep its promise to push terrorist groups 30 kilometers (18.64 miles) away from Turkey’s borders. “Terrorist attacks are on the rise and Turkey cannot just sit down and wait for them to attack us,” he said.
The PKK terrorist organization and its Syrian wing still pose a threat to Turkey and Syrians living close to the border despite pledges by both the United States and Russia to withdraw the terrorists 30 kilometers from Turkey’s southern border.
Turkey made separate agreements with the U.S. and Russia on the withdrawal of YPG/PKK elements as the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) were carrying out Operation Peace Spring, which began on Oct. 9, 2019, in northern Syria.
After pledging to pull the YPG/PKK terrorist group 30 kilometers from Turkey’s southern border in line with agreements, the U.S. and Russia have yet to live up to their promises after 2 1/2 years.