Turkey will continue to “resolutely” combat terrorism and will not allow any global or regional actor to jeopardize its security, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday.
“Terror is the biggest scourge that imperialists have inflicted on Türkiye,” Erdogan remarked during an iftar dinner in the southeastern Sanliurfa region.
He stated that Turkey’s “national security begins beyond its borders,” emphasizing that his country “cannot rest with peace of mind if peace is not ensured in our region.”
“We will never be safe as long as there are terrorists in northern Syria and Iraq with air power, ground power, and asymmetric weapons,” he continued.
Erdogan had previously attended a ceremony for the groundbreaking of 897 post-earthquake houses, as well as the key handover of 659 residences and 61 shops.
In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union — has killed over 40,000 people, including women, children, and babies.
Terrorists from the PKK have hideouts in northern Iraq, just across the Turkish border, from where they plan assaults on Turkey.
Furthermore, YPG/PKK terrorists hide out in northern Syria, near the Turkish border, where they plot and carry out assaults on both locals and surrounding Turkish villages.
Since 2016, Ankara has launched three successful counter-terror operations over its border in northern Syria to prevent the creation of a terror corridor and allow civilians to settle peacefully: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).