Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said on Wednesday that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) will continue operations in northern Syria until all threats are removed and Turkey's national security is guaranteed.

Speaking in Ankara, the prime minister said: "Syria's PKK-affiliate Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing the People's Protection Units (YPG) are terrorist organizations that are extensions of the PKK," adding that "They [PKK/PYD/YPG] come out with another name [for themselves] when [another] one wears off. These guys are [all] the [exact] same guys. These are not anyone other than those who hurt Turkey and the region," Yıldırım said. The prime minister added, "Therefore, our determination on this matter continues. These components will definitely retreat back to the east of the Euphrates, to where they came from. The U.S. made promises to Turkey several times in this respect. We do not expect any changes in these commitments."

Yıldırım who criticized EU countries regarding the refugee crisis, saying: "Europeans moan when 10 refugees enter to Europe because they are not used to such a thing. We [Turks] have humanity in our history and we have learned about service to humanity, this is what we learned from our ancestors." Concerning the July 15 coup attempt, Yıldırım said that "You gave the traitor [Gülenist Terror Group] (FETÖ) a good lesson on July 15. However, these terrorist groups are, at their very core, of the same mind. FETÖ went and BETÖ [the separatist terrorist group referring to the PKK] came. A separatist terror group came. Whoever comes, even if they come all together, we have 79 million sons in this country who stand firmly against them. They cannot divide this country, no matter what they do."