Turkish President Announces Planning for New Operations in Syria

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey, stated that his country is planning to conduct new military operations in Syria against groups that Ankara considers 'terrorist'. The Turkish army has previously directly engaged in conflicts in Syria, attacking both members of the group known as the Islamic State and Kurdish militants in the country. The 'Islamic State' is recognized as a terrorist group by the United Nations and is not included in ceasefires in Syria. The Kurdish militants, who are key members of an armed coalition called the 'Syrian Democratic Forces', are supported by the United States and are currently involved in battles against 'ISIS'. On April 9, former Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım stated that Turkey's previous operation named 'Euphrates Shield' had ended, but he did not rule out the possibility of further military campaigns in Syria. Three days later, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu emphasized that Turkish soldiers would remain in Syria until the areas controlled by Turkish military forces in northern Syria are 'transformed into safe zones' and completely 'cleansed' of what he referred to as 'terrorists'. Erdoğan mentioned that in the spring of this year, more cross-border operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants and the People's Protection Units (YPG), which are Syrian militants and the core of the 'Syrian Democratic Forces', would take place. On April 14, the Turkish President stated, 'We are planning new operations in other areas to attack the gathering places of terrorists.' He did not specify the location of these potential operations. The Syrian Democratic Forces are currently engaged in battles with ISIS to liberate Raqqa, the center of the Islamic State's presence in Syria. Recently, an American official told CNN that this group has launched a large-scale operation to seize a dam near Raqqa, and the U.S. Air Force has also been conducting unprecedented operations behind the front lines against ISIS fighters while supporting them. Colonel Joseph Scrocca, a public affairs official for the U.S.-led coalition against the 'Islamic State', stated that the coalition 'for the first time, along with the 'Syrian Arab Coalition' and the 'Syrian Democratic Forces', has conducted airlift operations for ground forces.'