Turkey threats to attack north Syria after recent blast
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On the back of the explosion that hit Istanbul on Nov. 13, Turkey intends to pursue targets in northern Syria to clear southern border, a senior official said on Tuesday.
“Syria is a national security problem for Turkey,” the official who denied to be named told Reuters.
The explosion killed six people and injured more than 80.
The Turkish authorities claimed that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to be behind the explosion, and published a picture for a woman called Ahlam al-Bashir, purporting that she had received instructions from the SDF-held city of Kobani, northern Syria, and that she had entered Turkey from Afrin, a city in northwest Syria occupied by Turkey since January 2018.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Commander in Chief, Mazloum Abdi, denied on Monday involvement in the blast.
a source of the SDF leadership told North Press, “The accusations are baseless, as everyone knows the military formation of the SDF and their tasks which are limited to fighting terrorism and protecting Syrian areas.”
The People Protection Units (YPG), affiliated with the SDF, accused on Monday the Turkish government of being behind and plotting the explosion.
The Turkish president and the Turkish government claim that the military forces that control northeastern Syria are an extension of the PKK, which has launched an insurgency against the Turkish government for four decades.
The official added thatAnkara will clear threats along its southern border “one way or another.”
Turkey has launched three cross-border military incursions (Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch and Peace Spring) into Syria’s north and northeast under the pretext of protecting its national security.
He noted, “There is an ongoing operation against the PKK in Iraq. There are certain targets in Syria after that is completed.”
However, Turkish Foreign Ministry has not commented so far.