Turkey’s communications director on Monday criticized U.S. claims that Ankara would target Kurds in Syria.
“Turkey is not the enemy of Kurds but their protector. Turkey does not have any issue with the Kurds. Our only issue is the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terror group and its extensions in Syria. The PYD and YPG are terror organizations. Turkey will steadfastly continue to fight against terror organizations,” Communications Director to the Turkish Presidency Fahrettin Altun, said in a Twitter post on Monday.
Altun stressed that “national security” was most essential for Turkey.
“Terror is terror and it must be eradicated. What Turkey doing in Syria is exactly that," he said.
His remarks came after U.S President Donald Trump's threat to target Turkey's economy if Ankara hits the terror group amid Washington's withdrawal of troops from Syria.
Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalın said on Twitter on Monday that it is a fatal mistake to equate Syrian Kurds with the PKK, which is on the U.S. list of terror organizations, and its Syria branch PYD/YPG.
A possible mission east of the Euphrates, which Turkey’s leadership has been suggesting for months, would follow two successful cross-border Turkish operations into Syria since 2016 – Operation Euphrates Shield and Operation Olive Branch – both meant to eradicate the presence of YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists near Turkey’s borders.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States. The YPG and PYD are its Syrian extensions.
