Turkey will retaliate if Syria's Raqqa operation presents threat: Yıldırım

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said on Tuesday Ankara will retaliate immediately if the operation by U.S.-backed forces to capture Raqqa, Daesh’s de facto capital in Syria, presents a threat to Turkey.

Speaking to deputies from the ruling AK Party after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said they had launched their battle for Raqqa, Yıldırım said Turkey was taking the necessary measures on the issue.

Turkey views the terror PKK/PYD group within the SDF as an affiliate of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) organization in Syria.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU. During it’s over 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, more than 40,000 people have lost their lives.

Since PKK resumed its armed campaign in July 2015, more than 1,200 people, including security personnel and civilians, have lost their lives.

Speaking about the crisis in the Gulf region, Yıldırım as a strategic partner said Turkey hopes that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries will solve their problems "calmly through dialogue", citing the diplomatic efforts aimed at mediation launched by president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Yıldırım added that, "in light of the terror events going on in the region, a spirit of unity and solidarity is required with every passing day."

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed their ties with Qatar on Monday, beginning the worst rift in years among some of the most powerful states in the Arab world.

In his speech, Yıldırım spoke about Germany’s decision to withdraw its troops from the İncirlik Air Base in southern Turkey, saying that "[Turkey] has not made any decision for its part, Germany can do as it pleases."

Sigmar Gabriel, the German foreign minister, said on Monday that Germany will withdraw its troops taking part in the war against Daesh from the İncirlik Air Base in Turkey.