We have no problems with US presence in Syrian territory: Turkish FM
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday told reporters that Turkey has no problem with US forces in Syrian territory, however, he said Turkey will continue its attacks on "terrorist groups" in northeastern Syria.
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The US military on Oct. 5 shot down a Turkish drone that was deemed a potential threat to American forces in Syria.
"We tell the Americans that we have no problem with you in Syrian territory. However, we will not refrain from targeting the organization nestled there,” the Turkish FM Fidan told reporters.
“This is the instruction our president gave to our armed forces, security organizations and intelligence," he was quoted by the Turkish state news agency Anadolu.
Moreover, he said if the US withdraws from Syria, there would be no more space for the SDF. “The only excuse for those who support them is the fight against ISIS," he claimed.
He also said that if in the future the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) would carry out an attack, the PKK “will not receive its response in the caves of Iraq. Their every action is directly addressed.”
He also said that Turkey will “not hesitate to destroy the organizational infrastructure and income sources that keep the organization alive."
From Oct. 5-9, Turkey launched an air campaign in northeastern Syria, killing at least 18 civilians, according to international NGOs, severely damaging infrastructure.
Turkey carried out the strikes, after Turkey blamed an attack in Ankara on fighters coming from Syria. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) rejected that the fighters came from Syria.
Read More: Turkish airstrikes overwhelm humanitarian aid efforts in Northeast Syria: NGO coordination forum
The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) in a press conference on Wednesday said a total of 44 people were killed, including 29 members of the Asayish’s anti-narcotics force.
The Co-Chair of the External Relations Department of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) Bedran Ciya Kurd in a post on the social media platform X, accused Turkey of carrying out war crimes by targeting “civilians and infrastructure in northern and eastern Syria.”
“Turkey’s recent bombings of vital facilities aimed at depriving civilians of the most basic means of life amounts to war crimes. These crimes cannot be overlooked and those responsible must be held accountable. We call on everyone to use the language of dialogue.”
"You (Israel) are occupying someone's land. You're seizing their home, throwing them out, bringing somebody (else) in, and calling them 'settlers.' This is called theft.”
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) October 17, 2023
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s remarks on Israel-Palestine conflict in Beirut ⤵️… pic.twitter.com/TXBxyym6YE
Turkish officials, including FM Hakan Fidan, have also been vocal about Israel’s military conduct in Gaza and in the Palestinian Territories.
Elham Ahmad, the president of the Executive Committee of the Syrian Democratic Council, in a response on X also said that “when Turkish officials describe the conflict in Gaza, they are defining themselves.”
“They committed war crimes in Afrin and northern Syria by displacing people, changing the demographics, bombing civilians, destroying hospitals , and cutting off water and electricity.”