Turkey’s Foreign Minister Claims Kurdish Groups in Syria Will be Defeated Soon
Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, has stated that it is only a matter of time before the Kurdish-led armed groups in Syria are defeated, and that Ankara will not accept any situation that allows the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) to remain in the country after the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Turkey views the YPG, which is supported by the US, as a “terrorist” group linked to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Fidan warned against any Western support for the Kurdish-led groups in Syria, saying that Turkey will not accept any line in the region that uses the fight against the Islamic State (IS) as a pretext to support the PKK/YPG.
Turkey has long been dissatisfied with US support for the Kurdish-led Self-Administration (SDF) in northeastern Syria. The SDF, which has been involved in the fight against the IS since 2019, is seen by Washington as crucial in preventing the IS from regrouping. However, critics argue that the US presence in Syria is also used to plunder the country’s resources.
Muhammed Dschaulani, the new Syrian powerbroker, whose Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has long maintained ties with Turkey, said on Sunday that the Kurdish-led forces should be integrated into the national army.
Fidan made the comments after a meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, during which they discussed the threat of the IS in Syria after the fall of Assad, led by HTS Islamists.
Observers fear that the IS could regain strength after the fall of Assad. Fidan made the comments a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that the new Syrian leaders are determined to defeat the YPG.