Turkish President Recep Erdogan addressed lawmakers from his ruling Adalet ve Kalkınma party on Wednesday, stating that Kurdish militias in northeastern Syria would face destruction by the nation’s armed forces unless they disband.
"The separatist murderers will either bid farewell to their weapons, or they will be buried in Syrian lands along with their weapons," Erdogan told the audience. "We will eradicate the terrorist organization that is trying to weave a wall of blood between us and our Kurdish siblings," he added.
Erdogan's remarks followed a report from The Wall Street Journal last week, which revealed Turkey might be preparing to launch an invasion of Syrian territories where members of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) are based.
Ankara has consistently regarded the YPG, a key faction of the United States-supported Syrian Democratic Forces, as linked to the insurgent Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Since 1984, Turkey’s military has engaged with PKK operatives, who seek the establishment of a Kurdish autonomous region within the country.
The PKK is classified as a terrorist institution by the European Union, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
In a separate announcement on Wednesday, Turkey's defense ministry reported its personnel had killed 21 Kurdish militants in Syria earlier in the day.
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