Türkiye’s unwavering support for the new administration in Syria is strengthened further after Damascus dealt a blow to the autonomy ambitions of the U.S.-backed terrorist group YPG in the past two weeks.
The Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on Thursday that Türkiye supported the Syrian army’s operations, which started from Aleppo and extended to other areas occupied by the YPG.
“Operations aimed to restore public order and ensure the safety of Syrian citizens. In this context, it is crucial for lasting stability in Syria that the YPG should comply with the March 10 and Jan. 18 agreements,” the ministry said.
Syria’s government on Tuesday gave the YPG four days to submit a detailed plan for full integration into state institutions, marking a decisive step toward restoring central authority over the country’s northeast. In a statement issued late Tuesday, the deadline was part of a broader effort to achieve what it described as a “united and indivisible Syria” through dialogue and a peaceful transition, while warning that military options would remain on the table if negotiations fail.
The announcement follows a series of talks between Damascus and the YPG over the future of Hassakeh province and other areas long outside government control. Syrian officials said preliminary agreements had been reached on key administrative and security issues, but stressed that implementation now depends on concrete steps by the group.
The ministry said Türkiye is committed to supporting “one state, one army” in Syria and would continue helping the Syrian state’s fight against terrorist groups and boosting its defense capacity, to preserve its unity and territorial integrity.
The Syrian army’s operations ended the presence of the YPG in Aleppo’s two neighborhoods first. As the YPG withdrew, Syrian troops pushed further to the north, moving to clear Deir el-Zour and Raqqa from the terrorist group’s occupation. Eventually, the YPG accepted a deal with Damascus for their integration, which was originally included in the March 2025 deal.
The defeat of the YPG has triggered protests by groups sympathizing with the terrorist group PKK, with whom the YPG is affiliated. A mob tried to cross into Syria from Türkiye in the southeastern town of Nusaybin on Monday, and they took down the Turkish flag on the border, sparking outrage in the country where the flag is almost a sacred symbol.
The Defense Ministry said in Thursday’s statement that the incidents were “an organized act of provocation.”
“The state is doing what it should for perpetrators of the incidents. An administrative inquiry is also immediately launched after the incident,” the ministry said.
Critics of the incident have claimed that local authorities in Nusaybin failed to stop the flag incident, unlike a 1996 event in Cyprus where Turkish troops shot down a protester attempting to bring down a flag on a military post.
