Turkey to take necessary steps in Syria after YPG attack: Erdoğan

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pledged late Monday that Turkey will take the necessary steps in Syria as soon as possible following the latest attack by the PKK terrorist group’s Syrian offshoot, the YPG, which killed two Turkish police officers.

Speaking after the Cabinet meeting, Erdoğan emphasized Turkey’s resolve to eliminate the YPG threat.

“We have run out of patience,” he said.

“Turkey is determined to eliminate threats arising from northern Syria, either together with forces active there, or with our own means.”

Two Turkish police officers were killed and two others were wounded after the YPG carried out an attack in Azaz, northern Syria, the Interior Ministry said Sunday.

The YPG/PKK terrorists attacked an armored vehicle with a guided missile in the Operation Euphrates Shield area, the ministry said.

The attack was launched from the Tal Rifaat region, it said.

Following Turkey’s Operation Peace Spring in 2019, Turkey agreed with Russia that terrorist elements be withdrawn from the region, however, the YPG still has a presence in Tal Rifat.

“All YPG elements and their weapons will be removed from Manbij and Tal Rifaat,” the agreement said, adding, “Both sides will take necessary measures to prevent infiltrations of terrorist elements.”

Initially, one officer died immediately after the attack and three others were wounded, but another officer succumbed to his wounds later on.

Ammunition that landed separately in two areas caused explosions in the southern Gaziantep province’s Karkamış district, across the border from Syria’s Jarablus, the governor’s office said.

A third piece of ammunition landed within Jarablus, it said, adding that it was believed to be launched from a region controlled by the U.S.-backed YPG.

Turkey has been carrying out operations against terrorist groups in northern Iraq and Syria, particularly the YPG/PKK.

Based on Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield on Aug. 24, 2016, using its right of self-defense to eradicate terrorist elements that threatened its national security, primarily Daesh, and ensure the security of the border in northern Syria.

On the first day of the operation, the Syrian town of Jarablus, which borders the Karkamış district of Turkey’s southeastern Gaziantep province, was liberated from terrorist elements. On Feb. 23, 2017, the northwestern town of al-Bab was freed from Daesh terrorists.

During the operation, an area of 2,055 square kilometers (793 square miles) between the two towns was also cleared from terrorist groups in 217 days. Turkish soldiers and the Syrian National Army (SNA) eliminated more than 3,000 Daesh terrorists in almost seven months.

On March 29, 2017, then-Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım announced that the operation was successfully completed. At the end of the operation, Turkey focused on providing security and stability in the region to create the necessary conditions for the return of civilians displaced due to terrorism.

To that end, security forces and officials trained in Turkey started operating in the region. Through Turkey’s initiatives and support in health,…