ERBUL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday warned that the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) will experience a “bitter fate” if they choose to remain operational and not disband.
"The YPG terrorist organization, which has also usurped Syria's natural resources, will not be able to escape the impending bitter fate if it does not disband and lay down its arms," Erdogan said in a meeting with his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Turkey claims that there are Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) members within the ranks of the YPG, the backbone of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Ankara has designated both as terrorist groups.
"Everyone should take their hands off the region. We will crush the heads of Daesh [Islamic State], YPG, and other terrorist organizations in a short time together with our Syrian brothers," Erdogan added.
A coalition of rebel groups, spearheaded by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), launched an offensive late November, toppling Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The country is navigating a transitional phase.
Erdogan in his speech “assured the security of the Kurds” and identified the YPG as the most serious issue in Syria as they “occupy almost one-third of the country's territory."
Turkey and the Syrian militia groups it supports, who call themselves the Syrian National Army (SNA), have recently intensified their attacks on SDF-held areas near Manbij, including Tishreen Dam and Qere Qozaq bridge.
The PKK has repeatedly said that it has no presence in Rojava, and SDF chief Mazloum Abdi has also repeatedly said that the PKK no longer exists in Rojava.
On Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned that Ankara is preparing to eliminate perceived security threats in Syria, saying it is the “end of the road” for Kurdish armed groups.
In December, Fidan held a joint press conference with Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus where he said that the territorial integrity of Syria is “non-negotiable” and that the PKK “has no place" in the country.
