Turkish troops on alert as Ankara considers operation against Syrian Kurds

Credit: NAN

The Turkish armed forces have been put on alert ahead of a possible operation against Syrian Kurdish fighters, Turkish newspaper Turkiye reported on Thursday.

The report cited military sources familiar with the matter.

It said that Ankara had placed troops near the Syrian border on standby and was preparing for all possible scenarios, including a military operation to defeat the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

On Wednesday, the Hurriyet newspaper reported that Turkey and Syria would conduct a large-scale military operation against the PKK if Kurdish separatists challenged the new Syrian administration and the West made new demands.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara had issued an ultimatum to Kurdish fighters in Syria and threatened to launch a military operation if its demands were not met.

He said Turkey’s conflict with the PKK started in 1984 and resumed in 2015.

Turkey launched operations Olive Branch and Peace Spring in Syria in 2018 and 2019, and Operation Claw-Lock in Iraq in 2022 amid protests from Damascus and Baghdad.

He noted that Ankara insisted that the operations were aimed at protecting its borders from security threats posed by Kurdish militia.

RIA/NAN