Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the Turkish operation in northern Syria will continue until Ankara eradicates the roots the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD). ANKARA (Sputnik) — Ankara will continue its Euphrates Shield military operation in northern Syria until the threat posed by the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) militants operating in the area is eliminated, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday. “We will fight against the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria’s Jarabulus, Iraq’s Bashiqa and, if it is necessary, in other places. We are equally resolute regarding PYD. Our operation in northern Syria will continue until we eradicate the roots of this separatist terrorist organization,” Erdogan said at a rally in Gaziantep in the southeast of Turkey. A child waves toward Turkish troops heading to the Syrian border, in Karkamis, Turkey, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016 © AP Photo/ Halit Onur Sandal Behind the Smokescreen: What Turkey is Aiming For in Its Syrian Campaign Ankara announced on Wednesday that Turkish forces, backed by US-led coalition aircraft, had begun a military operation dubbed Euphrates Shield to clear the Syrian border town of Jarabulus of militants from the Daesh jihadist group, outlawed in Russia and many other countries. Tensions between Ankara and the Kurds escalated in July 2015 when a ceasefire between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) collapsed over a series of terrorist attacks, allegedly committed by PKK members. Ankara considers PYD an affiliate of PKK, which is outlawed in Turkey.
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