Türkiye is determined to complete the 30-kilometer-deep (18.6-mile) security zone along its southern borders, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Saturday.
Speaking at a meeting in southern Şanlıurfa province, Erdoğan said that attacks will not deter the country from its determined stance on securing its southern border.
"We will definitely complete the 30-kilometer-deep security corridor that we are establishing along our southern borders, attacks will not dampen our resolve," he said.
The president also criticized opposition against the counterterrorism operation.
"You see the instability, the fights and chaos in the region, as well as the disasters, pain and oppression these lead to. If you're weak, then there'll likely be outside interference," Erdoğan said. He continued by saying that the actors who oppose the operation are only worried about their own political and economic agendas.
Recently, Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Sword, a cross-border aerial campaign against the PKK terrorist group and its Syrian wing, the YPG, which have illegal hideouts across the Iraqi and Syrian borders where they plan attacks on Turkish soil.
The country's air operation followed a PKK/YPG terrorist attack on Nov. 13 on Istanbul's crowded Istiklal Street that killed six people and left 81 injured.
After the air operation was launched, Erdoğan also signaled a ground operation to northern Iraq and northern Syria to eliminate the terrorist threat, adding, "This is not limited to just an air operation."
The president specified northern Syria's YPG-controlled Tal Rifaat, Manbij and Ain al-Arab (Kobani) regions as possible targets to clear of terrorists.
Since 2016, Türkiye has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the European Union, and the U.S., and is responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
