ISTANBUL: Turkey has announced that its forces killed 23 Kurdish militants in northern Syria, continuing a series of military strikes targeting groups it considers to be terrorist organizations. According to the Turkish Defence Ministry, those killed were members of the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), both of which are banned in Turkey.
Turkey regards the PKK and YPG as identical entities, viewing both as terrorist organizations. However, the United States differentiates between the two, designating the PKK as a terrorist group but seeing the YPG as an ally in the fight against ISIS in Syria. This division has been a point of tension, with Turkey urging the U.S. to cease its support for the YPG, which it sees as a direct threat to its security.
Turkish forces, alongside their Syrian allies, have been engaged in frequent clashes with Kurdish militants in Syria, especially following the downfall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey has made it clear that it expects the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)—a U.S.-backed umbrella group that includes the YPG—to disarm or face further military intervention.
In related developments, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan expressed hope that the United States, under President Donald Trump, would reconsider its position on the YPG, calling it a mistake to continue supporting the group. Fidan criticized the YPG’s ability to effectively combat ISIS, suggesting that their role was limited to holding prisoners, rather than fighting the terrorist organization.
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Under former U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration, about 2,000 American troops remained stationed in Syria, working alongside the SDF and YPG forces to counter ISIS.
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