 are pursuing a separatist agenda under the guise of fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), warning that Ankara is determined to dismantle what it views as a system of cross-border threats.){kind=link}
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Thursday that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are pursuing a separatist agenda under the guise of fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), warning that Ankara is determined to dismantle what it views as a system of cross-border threats.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Ankara with Syrian interim government Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Wednesday, Fidan said the international community must rethink its approach to combating ISIL. He argued that while the Syrian state has the will to fight the extremist group, its capabilities must be reinforced so Damascus can lead operations instead of the SDF.
“The SDF, which hides behind the cover of fighting ISIL while pursuing a separatist agenda, must now be removed from this equation,” Fidan said. He added that Turkey “has decided to end this system completely,” saying groups forced out of Turkey have established bases across the border to plot attacks.
The remarks reflect Ankara’s longstanding stance that the SDF and its main Kurdish component, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), are offshoots of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has fought a four-decade insurgency in Turkey and is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara and its Western allies, including the US and the EU.
The US has partnered with the SDF as its main ally on the ground against ISIL in Syria and does not view the group as a terrorist organization.
Fidan said Turkey supports the March 10 agreement signed between the Syrian government and the SDF, which envisages integrating the group’s fighters and institutions into state structures by the end of 2025. He said he and al-Shaibani reviewed steps to ensure the deal is “fully implemented without delay.”
“Turkey’s security is directly tied to Syria’s security,” Fidan said, arguing that all parties should help Damascus develop the necessary capacity to take over the fight against ISIL while rejecting any role for Kurdish armed groups that pursue autonomy.