FROM AJMAL KHAN YOUSAFZAI
ANKARA: country’s counterterrorism efforts in northern Syria, noting that the fight against terror must be pursued without “buts or ifs” and urging it to take action against PKK terror group and its affiliates.
“You are making a solidarity statement with Türkiye (against terror attacks) but against our counterterror efforts,” Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said in a joint news conference with his Belgian counterpart Hadja Lahbib.
Emphasizing that Türkiye “never targets civilians or civilian infrastructure” in its anti-terror operations across the border, the top diplomat said his country directly targets terrorists.
His remarks came after his counterpart expressed “concerns” about a possible ground operation by Türkiye against terrorist targets in Iraq and Syria.
“I wish Iraq could’ve carried out efforts to eliminate PKK terrorists, as it did with Daesh, and wipe out these (terrorists) from its lands,” he said.
He also pointed to the United States and Russia’s pledges in 2019 about clearing terrorists in Syria, and said he wished they had “fulfilled their promises,” too.
Çavuşoğlu stressed that it would be “unacceptable” for Türkiye to remain idle in the face of terror attacks and noted that solidarity and messages of condemnation were not enough.
Underlining that Türkiye was one of the most sensitive countries in terms of preserving civilians and civilian infrastructures, Çavuşoğlu also voiced opposition to statements against carrying out air or ground operations.
The Turkish minister further emphasized the need to fight terrorism without relent and conveyed Ankara’s expectations from Belgium on the matter.
“We expect you (Belgium) to take measures and fight against PKK organizations that are currently very active in Belgium and carry out terrorist activities throughout Europe,” he added.
He further said terrorist organizations are present in Belgium, and stressed that “terrorist organizations should be prevented from using Belgium as their headquarters. We need to be in solidarity in the fight against terrorism.”
Recently, Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Sword, a cross-border aerial campaign against the PKK terrorist group and its Syrian wing, the YPG, which have illegal hideouts across the Iraqi and Syrian borders where they plan attacks on Turkish soil.
The country’s air operation followed a PKK/YPG terrorist attack on Nov. 13 on Istanbul’s crowded Istiklal Street that killed six people and left 81 injured. The Turkish Defense Ministry said the operation was carried out in line with the right of self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.
After the air operation was launched, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also signaled a ground operation in northern Iraq and northern Syria to eliminate the terrorist threat, adding: “This is not limited to just an air operation.”The president specified northern Syria’s YPG-controlled Tal Rifaat, Manbij and Ain al-Arab (Kobani) regions as possible targets to clear of terrorists.
