Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler was in two key Turkish provinces on the Turkish-Syrian border over the weekend. Accompanied by senior commanders of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), Güler inspected military units in Gaziantep and Kilis and spoke about the situation on the opposite side of the border. Güler said that the Syrian National Army (SNA), which is already engaged in counterterrorism operations, with the assistance of the people of Syria, will save lands occupied by terrorist groups, namely the PKK/YPG.

"For our part, we will take all measures until elements of terrorism are eliminated outside our borders," Güler said.

The PKK/YPG seeks assistance from its main partner, the United States, and even tried to reach out to the new rulers of Syria in the aftermath of the fall of the Baathist regime that helped it thrive in the country’s northeast. Yet, the SNA’s operations thwarted their plans to expand their clout in the war-torn country. The SNA managed to capture two key towns, Manbij and Tal Rifaat, from the terrorist group through Operation Dawn of Freedom.

In an address to commanders on Sunday, Güler said the instability that prevailed in Syria since 2011 helped the PKK/YPG and Daesh to gain ground in that country and eventually paved the way for their threats to Türkiye’s border security. "Before we carried out (cross-border) operations, the PKK/YPG and Daesh carried out attacks in our country. Those attacks killed more than 600 citizens and injured more than 1,000 people in Reyhanlı, Suruç, Ankara, Istanbul, Gaziantep and Kilis. Also, before our cross-border operations, terrorists in Syria fired 1,546 rockets and mortars into residential areas in Kilis, Hatay, Mardin, Şanlıurfa, Şırnak and Gaziantep (near the border).

Güler pointed out that Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016 targeted areas occupied by Daesh in Syria. "The Turkish army is the only army that fought on the ground against Daesh. Our 67 heroes were martyred there. The army, however, managed to destroy the ‘terror corridor’ through successful operations and helped people living in Syria to regain a sense of normalcy," he said. The United States has dispatched troops along with military equipment and weapons to Syria’s northeast during the Syrian civil war to help the PKK/YPG, under the pretext of the fight against Daesh. U.S. troops remain in the region though the incoming Trump administration is planning to withdraw them according to unconfirmed reports. Two U.S. senators recently threatened Türkiye with new sanctions if it moves against the PKK/YPG, while the terrorist group’s leaders penned a letter to President-elect Trump to stop counterterrorism operations. Türkiye is a NATO ally of the United States, which refuses to recognize the YPG, the Syria wing of the PKK, as a terrorist organization though it designated the latter as a terrorist group.

The minister said Syria entered a new era after the collapse of the bloody regime and the people of Syria now had a say in their future. "As we did before, we will stand with the people of Syria. We will be in close cooperation and coordination with the new administration to ensure Syria’s territorial integrity, political unity, security and stability."

Güler stated that what happened in Syria in less than one month was not merely the outcome of anti-regime forces’ advances. "Wrongdoings of the regime that oppressed its own people for years and great efforts of the genuine owners of Syria that said 'enough is enough' brought beautiful days to Syria. This success is also the outcome of the heroic struggle of our armed forces that had martyrs and injuries in cross-border operations since August 2016 in Syria and the outcome of our noble nation embracing millions of refugees from Syria," he added.

The minister reiterated President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s earlier remarks that there was no place for terrorist groups including the PKK/YPG and Daesh in the future of Syria. He underlined the PKK/YPG’s attempts to change the demographic structure of the areas they occupied by moving their own members into areas where Arabs and other ethnicities lived. "Every action taken by these groups, which threaten the security of both our country and Syria, is being closely monitored, and preventive measures are being implemented," he said.

A few hours after Güler's visit to the border, the Ministry of National Defense announced that six PKK/YPG terrorists were eliminated in operations by the army in the areas of "Operation Euphrates Shield and Operation Peace Spring" in Syria's north. "Terrorists cannot escape the end that awaits them," the ministry said in a social media post on Sunday.

"Once displaced residents return to their homes in areas occupied by terrorist groups, Syria’s true demographic structure will emerge. We will never allow the PKK/YPG, a terrorist group that poses a significant threat to Syria’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and regional security, to exploit instability on the ground," Güler said. Güler said their stance was clear on counterterrorism and elimination of the PKK/YPG was their priority. "We have communicated this to our counterparts and continue to do so. The new Syrian administration has also clearly expressed its stance on the elimination of terrorist groups. The Turkish public can rest assured that we will continue to destroy all malicious forces threatening our homeland and the safety of our citizens, burying terrorists in the dark pits where they belong. Our cross-border operations will proceed as planned, with increasing intensity," he added.

Highlighting the ongoing fight against terrorism in northern Iraq, Minister Güler recalled the success of Operation Claw-Lock, which secured the Zap region and established full control along the Iraqi border. He emphasized that terrorists cornered in caves would continue to be eliminated, stating: "For terrorists, surrendering to the supreme Turkish justice system is now the only way out. Otherwise, their sole fate is annihilation. Wherever terrorists are located, they are legitimate targets for the Turkish Armed Forces."

Whatever it takes

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, meanwhile, said Türkiye would do whatever it takes to eliminate the PKK/YPG in Syria if the new rulers cannot accomplish this goal. Speaking to France 24 on Saturday, Fidan said that the YPG is an artificially created, organized terrorist group formed by people from Türkiye, Iraq, Syria and some from Europe.

"I think this artificial terrorist organization should be disbanded immediately. First of all, now there is a new administration in Syria. I think they have to take care of their own business, because we are talking about territorial unity and sovereignty and integrity of Syria," he added. Fidan stated that addressing this issue by the new administration in Syria is one of the paths they would prefer, adding: "This is the preferred way. I mean, if it doesn't happen, we have to protect our own national security." "Whatever is necessary will be done," Fidan said. Noting that the PKK/YPG should negotiate with Damascus to find a solution, Fidan stated: "Because now there is a new administration in Damascus, and the YPG/PKK don't have the Russia, Iran and regime alliance behind them." "The YPG/PKK know what we want. We don't want to see any form of military threat to ourselves, not from the present one, but also the potential one," he further said.