President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his statements regarding the military situation in Syria following the potential U.S. withdrawal from Syrian territory, especially after Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential elections.
Turkey’s Anadolu Agency reported on Wednesday that Erdogan commented in a press statement: “Turkey is ready to deal with the current reality and the new situation that a potential U.S. withdrawal from Syria will create, with our national security coming before everything else.”
Ankara considers the Kurdish units as a “terrorist” organization and views their presence in northeastern Syria as a threat to its national security. In this regard, Erdogan said, “We are determined to make terrorism a thing of the past, and we will not tolerate organizations that threaten Turkey from outside our borders.”
One day after Trump’s victory, Erdogan confirmed his intention to discuss the U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria with the newly elected President Donald Trump.
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Following this statement, Erdogan hinted at the possibility of launching a new military operation in northern Syria. He said, “Let us consider the Qamishli area in the Hassakeh governorate in northeastern Syria. Why are we taking the necessary steps with our security forces in Qamishli? Because we say: Let’s destroy the roots of this terrorist organization (the PKK – the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units) there. Our forces and intelligence have made significant progress and achieved very good results there.”
Estimates have not ruled out the possibility that Trump may consider reducing the U.S. military presence in Syria. In this context, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz cited an article translated by Al-Quds Al-Arabi, noting that Trump still aims to withdraw about 900 soldiers from Syria. It added, “It is not unlikely that Trump will reconsider America’s policy toward Syria.”
Leaked reports from diplomats close to Trump also confirmed that he is leaning toward the idea of withdrawing U.S. forces from Syria. This was highlighted in an article by Newsweek, which pointed out that “the regional consequences of the war between Israel and the Resistance Axis have been felt in Syria over the past year,” mentioning the attacks targeting U.S. bases in Syria, the most recent being in Shaddadi in the countryside of Hassakeh.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
