Turkey’s Erdogan says end near for PKK, Syrian offshoots
The Turkish president's remarks come amid growing speculation of an imminent Turkish-backed rebel offensive against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
ANKARA — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signaled on Monday that a Turkish-backed rebel offensive against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces might be imminent, saying the end was near for the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and its Syrian offshoots.
Turkey considers the SDF a top national security threat as it equates it with the PKK, which has been waging an armed campaign against Turkish forces for Kurdish self-rule inside the country since 1984.
“I can safely say that time is running out for the PKK and its extensions; the circle is closing in. The end of the road is in sight,” Erdogan said in a televised speech after a cabinet meeting in Ankara.
“Perhaps tomorrow, perhaps even sooner, we will be free from the terrorism curse that has been draining our blood for 40 years,” Erdogan added in reference to a verse in Turkey’s national anthem.
