By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.
I agree
Search Trends
SITEMAP
Copyright © 2024 CGTN. 京ICP备20000184号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
SITEMAP
Copyright © 2024 CGTN. 京ICP备20000184号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a statement to the media in Baghdad, capital city of Iraq, April 22, 2024. /CFP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Saturday the imminent conclusion of Turkish forces' operation against Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq and Syria.
"We are soon locking down the area of operation in northern Iraq," Erdogan stated during the graduation ceremony of the National Defence University in Istanbul.
Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock in northern Iraq in 2022 to target the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) hideouts in northern Iraq's Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions.
The president noted that the separatist organization is no longer able to carry out actions within Türkiye's borders, while in Iraq and Syria, it is increasingly cornered.
"In Syria, we will complete the missing links of the security belt along our southern border, based on Syria's territorial integrity," said Erdogan, referring to the Turkish army's operations in northern Syria against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).
Since 2016, Türkiye has initiated several military operations in northern Syria, aiming to establish a YPG-free zone along the border. Türkiye considers the YPG group as the Syrian branch of the PKK.
The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union, has been engaged in armed rebellion against the Turkish government for more than three decades.