Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan issued a stark warning on Wednesday, stating that Kurdish militants in Syria must either disarm or face annihilation.
This comes amid ongoing clashes between Turkey-backed Syrian fighters and Kurdish groups following the fall of Bashar al-Assad earlier this month.
In the aftermath of Assad’s departure, Ankara has emphasized that the Kurdish YPG militia must disband, asserting that the group has no role in Syria’s future.
“The separatist murderers will either bid farewell to their weapons, or they will be buried in Syrian lands along with their weapons,” Erdogan declared to lawmakers from his ruling AK Party in parliament.
He further stated, “We will eradicate the terrorist organisation that is trying to weave a wall of blood between us and our Kurdish siblings.”
Turkey regards the Kurdish YPG militia—an essential component of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)—as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
The PKK has been designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, having waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.
Ankara has repeatedly urged its NATO allies, including Washington, to cease support for the YPG.
Earlier, Turkey’s defense ministry reported that its armed forces had eliminated 21 YPG-PKK militants in northern Syria and Iraq.
In a recent Reuters interview, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi acknowledged the presence of PKK fighters in Syria for the first time.
He explained that the fighters had assisted in combating the Islamic State and would return home if a comprehensive ceasefire with Turkey—one of Ankara’s key demands—were established.
Abdi denied any formal organizational ties with the PKK.
Erdogan also announced plans to open a Turkish consulate in Aleppo and anticipated increased border activity next summer as Syrian migrants in Turkey begin returning.