Turkey’s Erdogan Issues Stark Warning to Kurdish Fighters in Syria Amid Post-Assad Turmoil

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued a harsh ultimatum to Kurdish fighters in Syria, declaring they must either disarm or face elimination in the wake of Bashar al-Assad’s recent ouster, Al Jazeera reports.

“The separatist murderers will either bid farewell to their weapons, or they will be buried in Syrian lands along with their weapons, “Erdogan said while speaking to lawmakers from his ruling AK Party on Wednesday.

The comments come after the fall of the Assad regime on December 8, an event that has dramatically reshaped the Syrian landscape. Ankara has consistently maintained that the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia must disband, arguing they have no role in Syria’s future. The YPG, a key component of the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), has found itself increasingly vulnerable following the change in leadership.

“We will eradicate the terrorist organisation that is trying to weave a wall of blood between us and our Kurdish siblings,” Erdogan said.

Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been engaged in a long-running insurgency against the Turkish state. The PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union. Ankara has repeatedly called for Washington and other allies to cease their support of the YPG.

In a further indication of escalating tensions, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that its forces had killed 21 YPG-PKK fighters in northern Syria and Iraq.

While SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi acknowledged last week the presence of PKK fighters in Syria, stating they had helped in the fight against ISIS, he denied any organizational ties. Abdi also said these fighters would return home if a total ceasefire with Turkey, a key demand of Ankara, could be secured.

In a move suggesting a future for a post-conflict Syria, Erdogan also announced that Turkey will soon open its consulate in Aleppo. He said that Ankara anticipates increased border traffic in the summer of next year as some of the millions of Syrian migrants currently hosted by Turkey begin to return home.