Turkey abandons defense, goes on attack: President Erdoğan

ANKARA

Turkey will go wherever the source of terrorist threat is, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, expressing once again Turkey’s determination in military operations carried out in Syria and Iraq. 

“Turkey has abandoned defense and is now in attack mode,” Erdoğan said on Jan. 19 at a meeting with village heads at the presidential palace. 

“We will carry out our struggle against terrorist organizations in Syria within this perspective. In Iraq too, we will follow a similar approach,” he added.

“The siege in al-Bab continues intensely and Daesh [an acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, ISIL] is now running away. The struggle against PYD [Democratic Union Party] and YPG [People’s Protection Units] is continuing with determination. If there are elements that are threatening us, we will clear them of those areas. I always say, ‘safe haven free of terrorism.’ This is our right. If my citizens are constantly threatened by those regions, it is our duty to protect them. The state is here for this reason,” he said. 

Erdoğan again accused other countries of directly and indirectly supporting ISIL and YPG, noting that this was why Turkey’s military offensive in al-Bab had prolonged. He stressed that their help would eventually come back to them as problems. 

“We will expand our field of struggle with the principle that those who do not support Turkey, are against Turkey,” he said.