Türkiye is welcoming recent developments in Syria, where the new government has made swift gains against the PKK/YPG terrorists with an abrupt offensive, moves Ankara considers as strengthening its neighbor’s territorial integrity and enhancing regional security.

Ankara has long viewed the YPG, which dominates the so-called SDF based in northern Syria, as a threat, as Türkiye fought to quell the PKK, whose decades‑long terror campaign cost tens of thousands of lives in Türkiye, as well as Iraq and Syria.

Just a few months after the PKK in Türkiye agreed to lay down its arms, the collapse of the YPG is a major step toward Ankara's regional goals.

In just two weeks, the YPG, once militarily backed by the U.S. under the guise of fighting Daesh in Syria, lost most of its territory in northern Syria to an offensive launched by President Ahmad al-Sharaa.

The YPG was then forced to accept a deal under which it would dissolve and merge its tens of thousands with the Syrian government's military as individuals rather than in a bloc, after the failure of monthslong negotiations on the integration of its troops into the new Syrian army due to its insistence on decentralization and autonomy in the northern territories it occupies.

The SDF was established a decade ago with U.S. support as a coalition of militias to fight Daesh. Its backbone was made up of the PKK’s local affiliate, the YPG terrorists.

Al-Sharaa took power after the ouster of the Assad regime in December 2024 and has been consolidating central authority while dealing with challenges from the remnants of pro-Assad groups as well as some former opposition groups that want to maintain autonomy from the state. Türkiye has been a key backer of the new Syrian government, providing political and military support to strengthen central administration and territorial unity.

Washington declined to intervene on behalf of the YPG, shifting its support to the nascent government and focusing on brokering a cease-fire.

"The fact that the PKK-linked SDF has essentially lost its influence and territorial hold is certainly a very favorable outcome for Türkiye," said Sinan Ülgen, director of the Istanbul-based EDAM research center. "The extension of the capabilities of the new Syrian government is also another favorable outcome."

Ülgen cautioned, however, that the Syrian government's recent gains could prove temporary if al-Sharaa fails to stabilize the northeast of the country.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan extended congratulations to the Syrian government in remarks to his ruling party's legislators on Wednesday.

"From the very beginning, Türkiye has strongly defended the existence of a single Syrian state," he said. "We have repeatedly declared that we will not consent to any separatist structure along our southern borders that poses a threat to our country's security."

Türkiye not only benefited from the developments but played a supportive role, advising the Syrian government during operations that led to the withdrawal of YPG forces from Aleppo, Turkish security officials said.

Türkiye's intelligence agency remained in contact with the Syrian administration to prevent harm to civilians and the safe evacuation of YPG members and their families, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Türkiye also kept in touch with the U.S., the international coalition against the Daesh terrorist group, and other regional countries during the offensive, they said.

Also key to the Syrian government's success was the willingness of the U.S. to see a former ally dismantled. Experts say the YPG counted on Washington's support when it rejected an earlier deal proposed by al-Sharaa.

Erdoğan's warm personal ties with U.S. President Donald Trump likely helped win the U.S. president over, Ülgen said. But he added that the shift in U.S. policy was based on the White House's assessment that its "interlocutor in Syria should be the new government and not a non-state entity."

The development also came despite tensions between Türkiye and Israel over Syria.

Some YPG representatives openly called for Israeli intervention during the recent clashes, citing Israel's past support for the Druze community during violence in Sweida province in southern Syria, but Israel also chose to stand aside.

Ülgen said a key turning point was a recent meeting between Syrian and Israeli officials in Paris, during which Syria effectively recognized Israel's zone of influence along its southern border.

Özgür Ünlühisarcıklı, an expert on Türkiye at the German Marshall Fund, also said Syria and Israel reached a "tacit agreement" on the YPG during the meeting in Paris but added that the United States' support to the Syrian government played a key role.

Turkish officials now hope that the integration of the YPG into Syrian government structures will help advance the terror-free Türkiye initiative that seeks to end PKK terrorism.

In May, the PKK announced that it would disarm and disband as part of the initiative, following a call by its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan. The PKK staged a symbolic disarmament ceremony in northern Iraq in the summer, and later announced that it was withdrawing its remaining fighters from Türkiye to Iraq.

The YPG, however, rejected pressure to follow suit, insisting that Öcalan's call applied only to the PKK.