Erdogan says can turn Raqqa into IS graveyard, threatens more YPG attacks
As Erdogan spoke, the Turkish army dispatched more troops and tanks to the border with Syria whose north is under Kurdish control.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday called on the United States to cooperate with his country in defeating the Islamic State (IS) in Syria while threatening more attacks on the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).
Speaking to a business convention in Istanbul, Erdogan mentioned his upcoming meeting in the US with President Donald Trump.
The Turkish President stated he would present “documents” to prove YPG fighters who the US partners with in the war against IS are “terrorists.”
“We, the great US, and all these coalition forces and Turkey can turn Raqqa into a graveyard for [IS],” Erdogan said, referring to an ongoing YPG-led operation to capture the IS capital in Syria.
Erdogan further proposed to have a military role in the IS-occupied Iraqi provinces of Anbar and Nineveh whose major parts Iraqi troops have already captured.
In remarks carried by the state-owned Anadolu Agency, Erdogan praised Turkish airstrikes on YPG in Syria and Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) affiliates in Iraq that killed dozens of Kurdish fighters including five Kurdistan Region Peshmerga soldiers.
“An operation in Sinjar, an operation here and there we dealt with some 210, 220 terrorists and hit their most important bases,” Erdogan said.
“We may suddenly come at any night,” Erdogan declared, using an expression from a popular Turkish song often employed as a way of threatening someone.
As Erdogan spoke, the Turkish army dispatched more troops and tanks to the border with Syria whose north is under Kurdish control.
The US has also deployed Stryker tanks and special forces to prevent further Turkish attacks and exchange of fire between its two allies.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany
