Erdogan warns Turkey has 'right to mobilize' again against Kurdish forces

The Turkish president's comments come a year after Turkey launched an offensive against Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria.
Turkey-backed Syrian fighters man a sand barricade near the rebel-controlled town of Tal Abyad in the northern Syria's Raqa province, along the frontline with Syrian Kurdish forces controling the Kurdish-majority city of Kobani, on October 10, 2020. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP) (Photo by BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty Images)
Turkey-backed Syrian fighters man a sand barricade near the rebel-controlled town of Tell Abyad in the northern Syria's Raqqa province, along the front line with Syrian Kurdish forces controlling the Kurdish-majority city of Kobani, on Oct. 10, 2020. - BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty Images
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

A year after launching an incursion into northeast Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised the possibility of another offensive against US-backed Kurdish forces in the war-torn country. 

"We see the presence of terrorist organizations in areas along our Syrian border not under our control," Erdogan said in an address to lawmakers in his ruling party Wednesday. "If the terrorists here are not cleared as we were promised, we have the legitimate right to mobilize once again."

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.

Videos

See more