Erdogan Reminds Turkey Has The Ability To Destroy Syrian Terrorists

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan/IST

JAKARTA - President Tayyip Erdogan warned Turkey has the power and ability to destroy all terrorists in Syria, including ISIS and Kurdish militants, as well as urge all countries to "let go" of Syria.

Since Bashar al-Assad's fall last month, Turkey has repeatedly said it is time for the Kurdish YPG militias to be dissolved. Ankara considers the group, which is the spearhead of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) allied to the US, as a terrorist organization.

Ankara said the new Syrian government should be given the opportunity to address the YPG's presence, but also threaten to launch a new cross-border operation against militias based in northeastern Syria if its demands are not met.

Speaking in parliament, Erdogan said the YPG was the biggest problem in Syria today. He said the group would not be able to escape the inevitable devastation unless they laid their weapons down.

"Regarding fabricated reasons like ISIS, these reasons are no longer convincing," Erdogan said.

"If there is indeed fear of the threat of ISIS in Syria and this region, then the greatest force that has the will and power to solve this problem is Turkey," he said.

Everyone must release their hands from Syria and we, together with our brothers in Syria, will destroy ISIS leaders, the YPG, and other terrorist organizations in no time.

Turkey has repeatedly asked its NATO ally, the United States, to stop supporting the SDF, and said the new government in Syria had offered to take over the prison management.