Erdogan: Kurdish Groups in Syria Will Face Turkey's 'Iron Fist'

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, warned on Sunday, January 6, that if Kurdish forces in Syria do not lay down their arms, they will face Turkey's 'iron fist.' According to him, the new leadership in Syria is determined to destroy 'separatist' groups in the country. Erdogan's remarks refer to the Syrian Democratic Forces led by Kurds, which have been the main ally of the United States in the fight against ISIS in Syria. The Turkish president uses the term 'separatist' to refer to the Syrian Democratic Forces, despite the group having accepted the new Syrian flag and calling for the formation of an inclusive government in the country. In another part of his speech, Erdogan stated that the Turkish army has 'neutralized' 32 members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Syria. Turkey considers the People's Protection Units (YPG), the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces, as the PKK's branch in Syria, while the United States and the European Union regard the two groups as separate. Following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad by the coalition led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Turkey-backed coalition known as the 'Free Syrian Army' intensified its attacks against the Syrian Democratic Forces and seized control of the cities of Tal Rifaat and Manbij from the Kurds. Contrary to Erdogan's statements, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Sunday that during the clashes over the past two days around Manbij, 85 members of Turkey-backed groups and 16 members of the Syrian Democratic Forces were killed. In this context, the Syrian Democratic Forces announced in a statement that they had repelled 'all attacks by Turkish mercenaries supported by drones and Turkish aviation.' According to Rami Abdulrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Turkey-backed groups intend to capture the cities of Kobani and Tabqa before moving towards Raqqa. The Syrian Democratic Forces control vast areas of northeastern Syria and parts of Deir ez-Zor province in the east, where the Kurds established an autonomous administration after the retreat of government forces during the civil war that began in 2011. This group, which is supported by the United States, took control of many of its current areas, including Raqqa, after seizing it from the Islamic State militants. In recent years, the Turkish army has conducted extensive drone attacks against Kurds in Syria and Iraq under the pretext of attacking the PKK. The PKK has engaged in armed confrontation with Turkey over the rights of Kurds in the country for more than four decades and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, and Turkey. The United States has nearly 2,000 troops in Syria fighting alongside the Syrian Democratic Forces against ISIS and preventing the resurgence of this group. The Islamist Syrian government has called for the lifting of U.S. sanctions. Germany: Women and Kurds must participate in the transitional process in Syria. Saudi Arabia says it is ready to 'participate in change' in Syria. Pentagon: The ceasefire between the Kurds of Syria and Turkey remains in effect.