President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Ankara will not announce the date for the planned cross-border counterterrorism operation against the PKK and its Syrian offshoot, the YPG, but said the country is determined to launch it.
Speaking to reporters at a news conference ahead of his departure for Turkmenistan, the president said Türkiye will not seek authorization to carry out the operation.
"We won't specify a date for Syria (operation) but our goals are clear. Our goal is to create a 30-kilometer-deep security corridor from our border," Erdoğan said.
Last month Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Sword in northern Iraq and Syria, a cross-border aerial campaign against the PKK terrorist group and its Syrian offshoot, the YPG, which have illegal hideouts across the Iraqi and Syrian borders where they plan and sometimes execute attacks on Turkish soil.
The operation was launched days after the PKK/YPG carried out a bomb attack on Istanbul's popular Istiklal Street, killing six people and injuring 81.
After the air operation began on Nov. 20, Erdoğan also signaled an impending ground operation in northern Iraq and northern Syria to eliminate the terrorist threat.
The president specified northern Syria's YPG-controlled Tal Rifaat, Manbij and Ain al-Arab (Kobani) regions as possible targets to clear of terrorists.
The president departed Tuesday for Turkmenistan to attend the first summit between the leaders of Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.
He will meet Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Turkmen leader Serdar Berdimuhamedov on Wednesday in the western Turkmen city of Awaza to address steps to further deepen the cooperation between the three countries in various areas, particularly in trade, energy and transportation.
At the summit, the presidents will sign several agreements which aim to strengthen the cooperation.
Erdoğan also will hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the summit.
