Türkiye will not ignore possible attempts of the PKK’s Syrian wing, the YPG, to abuse the integration process into the new Syrian government, Defense Ministry sources said Thursday.
“We once again underline that there has been no decrease in Türkiye’s decisiveness on the fight against terrorism,” the sources said.
“Our main aim as Türkiye is the preservation of Syria’s unity and territorial integrity, enhancing Syria’s security capacity and ensuring cooperation between the two countries on the fight against terrorism,” they added.
One of Türkiye's main priorities in Syria, following the fall of Bashar Assad in December and the coming to power of a new Syrian government, is the elimination of the YPG, through its integration into the new national army.
A deal was signed in March by Syria’s interim president and Ferhat Abdi Şahin, code-named "Mazloum Kobani," the ringleader of the YPG. Damascus shunned an open conflict with the YPG and sought a deal for their integration into the new Syrian army.
The YPG currently occupies one-third of Syria's territory, including most of the country's oil and gas fields. Türkiye, which suffered from cross-border attacks by the YPG, supported the Syrian opposition through military offensives in Syria’s north in the past decade and liberated parts of northern Syria from the YPG's grip.
The sources also touched upon the process of the PKK’s dissolution, saying: “The developments on the field following the decision of the terrorist organization to lay down arms are being followed closely in coordination with all institutions while all precautions are being taken.”
The sources added that the Defense Ministry’s searches and the destruction of terrorist caves are ongoing.
Speaking on the same day, Defense Ministry spokesperson Zeki Aktürk said that six more terrorists have surrendered in the past week following operations in northern Iraq.
In recent years, Türkiye has stepped up domestic operations and efforts across its borders against the terrorist group and convinced many members to abandon the PKK.
Protests by a group of families in front of the pro-PKK Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) headquarters in Diyarbakır demanding the return of their sons and daughters, who were recruited or kidnapped to fight for the terrorist group, have also helped increase the number of people surrendering.
Aktürk said that numerous weapons, ammunition and various materials seized in caves, shelters and shelters belonging to terrorists detected in all operation areas, especially in the Claw-Key area in northern Iraq, have been rendered unusable.
He also underlined that the borders are being protected without interruption with the most effective measures and multi-faceted security systems.
"A total of 2,559 individuals who attempted to cross illegally at our borders have been caught since Jan. 1, 112 of which were caught in the last week. This year, the number of individuals prevented has reached 37,637, with 1,634 individuals prevented in the last week. Again, 87 kilograms of narcotics were seized in the search and screening activities conducted on the Van border line this week. Within the scope of tunnel destruction activities that started on Jan. 8, 151 kilometers of tunnels in Syria’s Tal Rifaat region and 124 kilometers in the Manbij region have been destroyed to date."
