Turkey deployed hundreds more troops in northern Syria overnight in preparation for a long-suspended offensive against American-backed Kurdish forces, according to two officials, a move that could help President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shore up flagging domestic support and put pressure on the U.S. and Russia to rein in the Kurdish troops.
Earlier this month, Erdogan signaled he was planning a new campaign after a spate of attacks by Kurdish YPG forces that Ankara regards as a mortal threat because of their link to Kurdish insurgents in Turkey. As the troop buildup was getting underway, he resumed his tough talk, without specifically declaring a military incursion was imminent.
Giant rescue operation for at least 400 foreigners east of Crete (photo)
“Turkey is currently facing terrorist threats from across the border,” Erdogan said on his way home from Azerbaijan, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Wednesday. “We will continue our fight against terrorism with the same determination” at home and across the border, he said.
In 2019, Ankara hit the brakes on an earlier planned Syria foray following separate cease-fire agreements with the U.S. and Russia, which both have forces stationed there. But he recently accused both countries of not fulfilling their promises to force the YPG to withdraw at least 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Turkish border.
Read more: Bloomberg
