Turkey: We Will Take Action If Kurdish Militants Do Not Leave Manbij

Turkey's National Security Council warned that if Kurdish militants do not immediately leave the Manbij region of Syria and areas east of the Euphrates, the country will take action. Turkey, which recently crushed the town of Afrin after two months of attacks on Syrian Kurdish militants known as the People's Protection Units (YPG), has repeatedly threatened to extend its military operations to Manbij, where U.S. forces are stationed. However, Reuters reports that expanding Turkey's military campaign to other areas controlled by Syrian Kurds in eastern Syria poses a risk of confrontation between these two NATO members, which are currently experiencing major disagreements over Washington's policies in Syria and other issues. The statement from Turkey's National Security Council, chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, published on Wednesday, states: "In today's meeting, it was emphasized that the terrorists present in Manbij must leave the area, and otherwise, Turkey will not hesitate to take the initiative as it has done in other areas." The statement further adds that Turkey will adopt a similar approach towards militants located east of the Euphrates and in Syrian territory. Ankara considers the YPG to be aligned with and part of the illegal Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been at war with the Turkish government for decades. Therefore, U.S. support for the YPG has provoked Turkey's anger. The National Security Council of Turkey also warns the Iraqi government to prevent PKK operations in its territory, especially in the towns of Sinjar and Qandil, otherwise Ankara will take action against the PKK itself. A day prior, the Iraqi Prime Minister had told his Turkish counterpart in a phone call that the Iraqi armed forces would prevent Kurdish militants based in the north of the country from crossing the border to attack Turkey.