ISTANBUL: In the wake of a recent incident involving a US fighter jet downing a Turkish combat drone targeting Kurdish forces supported by the US in Syria, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan affirmed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday that Ankara’s air strikes in Syria will continue against terrorists.
The phone call between Blinken and Fidan occurred a day after the US fighter jet shot down the Turkish drone, marking the first such incident between the NATO allies.
Following the call, a Turkish diplomatic source stated that Fidan conveyed to Blinken that “Turkey’s counter-terrorism operations in Iraq and Syria will continue with determination.” Despite the escalation, the two diplomats managed to find common ground, reaching an agreement on de-escalation strategies to handle future conflicts in the region while not hindering the fight against terrorism.
Turkey recently intensified cross-border air raids against Kurdish targets in northeastern Syria and northern Iraq as a response to a bombing in Ankara that injured two policemen. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), recognized as a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies, claimed responsibility for the attack. Ankara linked the assailants of the Ankara attack to Syria, further fueling the ongoing tensions.
Turkey’s military operations in Syria primarily target oil and other facilities controlled by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), a crucial component of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). US support for the YPG has strained relations between Ankara and Washington, a situation exacerbated by the recent drone incident. The Turkish presidency criticized foreign support for the YPG, labeling it “a colossal folly.”
Turkey Resumes Airstrikes on Kurdish-held Northeastern Syria
Meanwhile, Turkey resumed airstrikes on Kurdish-held northeastern Syria, focusing on energy infrastructure, as the death toll climbed to 15 over two days, officials from the Kurds’ semi-autonomous administration revealed.
Following a weekend bombing in Ankara, Turkey carried out drone strikes targeting Kurdish forces in the area since Thursday. The US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reported a toll of 15 dead.
These airstrikes followed an attack in Ankara on Sunday, claimed by a branch of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which wounded two security officers. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had warned of reprisals against Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria, attributing the assailants to Syria and stating they were trained there.
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder revealed that US F-16 warplanes over Syria shot down a Turkish drone on Thursday, considering it “a potential threat” after it approached “less than a half kilometer from US forces” near Hasakeh.
Since 2016, Turkey has conducted ground operations to expel Kurdish forces from border areas of northern Syria and has continually threatened new incursions into the region.
