Erdogan says to launch operation into Syria at any moment

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Turkey may launch a new military operation in northern Syria at any moment, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

On Friday, Erdogan spoke on the phone with U.S. President Donald Trump during which the pair agreed to ensure more effective coordination between their countries' operations in Syria.

The conversation followed threats from Erdogan last week to launch an offensive against the U.S.-backed Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia east of the Euphrates River within the next few days.

Turkish Armed Forces' armored military vehicles are dispatched to support the units at the border in Hatay, Turkey, December 17, 2018. /VCG Photo

"I spoke with Trump. The terrorists must leave the east of the Euphrates. If they don't go, we will remove them," Erdogan promised during a televised speech in the central Turkish province of Konya.

Turkey views the YPG as a terrorist offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.

Although Erdogan said that Turkey could start an operation at any moment, he appeared to indicate there was room for negotiation with the U.S.

"Since we are strategic partners with America, then we must do what is necessary," said Erdogan, adding that "The U.S. must fulfill promises," without giving further details.

The YPG has been a strategic partner in Washington's fight against the Islamic State (ISIL) in Syria under the banner of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The U.S. has long complained that tensions with Turkey and the SDP, of which the YPG is the backbone, have at times slowed down progress on fighting ISIL.

(Top image: An SDF fighter holds a sniper rifle on his shoulder as he attends the funeral of a slain YPG commander in the northeastern city of Qamishli, Syria, December 6, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters