Türkiye could relocate its troops in northern Syria should the need arise, Turkish Defense Ministry sources said Thursday, pointing out a “common understanding” with the country’s new rulers on eliminating terrorist groups.
The statements come amid the uncertainty looming over the fate of the U.S.-backed YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK terrorist group, which poses a direct threat to Türkiye.
Sources said Ankara is also working to assign a military attaché to Syria soon.
Following the ouster of Bashar Assad in December, Türkiye has said it was in contact with Syria’s new rulers to boost the defense and security capacity of the Syrian army.
The ongoing presence of terrorist groups, including the PKK and Daesh, continues to threaten regional stability, according to both governments.
During Syria’s civil war, groups such as Daesh and the PKK's Syrian wing, YPG, gained control of northern territories. In response, Türkiye launched several cross-border operations between 2016 and 2019 to protect civilians and support Syrian opposition forces.
Under the previous regime, Assad refrained from aiding Türkiye in the counterterrorism battle and ignored Ankara’s repeated calls for cooperation to end the bloodshed caused by terrorist elements.
The new leader, al-Sharaa, is determined to change Assad’s approach to the war on terror and has repeatedly emphasized his administration’s willingness to cooperate closely with Ankara, with a strong focus on counterterrorism.
In a recent interview with Turkish broadcaster A Haber, interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa stated that Syria may seek Türkiye’s support in the fight against Daesh and other terrorist groups still active on its soil.
“The new administration of Syria must ensure complete sovereignty of the entire country,” Defense Ministry sources told reporters at a weekly briefing in the capital, Ankara. “As Türkiye, we continue supporting our Syrian brothers and sisters. Our priority is the elimination of all terrorist groups in Syria.”
Assad's ouster raised the prospect of Türkiye intervening directly in the country against the PKK/YPG, which was behind a string of terror attacks targeting Turkish cities and civilians in recent years.
Syria's new rulers also raised the prospect of the dissolution of the YPG and their integration into the fledgling army of post-Assad Syria. Murhaf Abu Qasra, the defense minister of Syria’s new administration, said last month that it must dissolve itself before a National Dialogue Conference.
In an interview with Saudi Arabia's Asharq News channel in January, YPG leader Ferhat Abdi Şahin said their "basic demand" is for decentralized administration. The demand poses a potential challenge to Syria's new leadership, which wants to bring all of the country back under the government's authority.
The fight against the PKK is also underway in Iraq, where Türkiye deployed troops to several regions in that neighbor's north for Operation Claw-Lock.
Airstrikes in northern Iraq and Syria have eliminated a total of 56 PKK/YPG terrorists in the past week, Defense Ministry spokesperson Adm. Zeki Aktürk said separately.
The operations raised the number of terrorists eliminated in the region since Jan. 1 to 377, with 134 eliminated in Iraq and 243 eliminated in Syria, according to the spokesperson.
“The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have seized many weapons, munitions and supplies belonging to terrorists in a mountain cave in the Operation Claw-Lock zone,” Aktürk informed.
He also revealed authorities captured 140 people trying to cross the border, including four terrorists illegally, and prevented 1,799 illegal entries in the past week.
