The truce between Turkey and the Kurdish militias in northern Syria expires this Tuesday. The Turkish government has now threatened with further fighting. They will continue their offensive against the Kurdish militia YPG, if the fighters from border areas are not withdrawn as agreed until Tuesday evening at 18 clock local time (16 clock MEZ) said the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu on Monday afternoon.
Just under two weeks after the beginning of an internationally massively criticized military operation against the YPG, Turkey signed an agreement on 22 October with Russia as guardian of the Syrian government, which was to give the YPG 150 hours to withdraw.
Cavusoglu said: "Should the YPG not withdraw from the border strip of" 444 kilometers long and 30 kilometers wide, ie from the river Euphrates to the Iraqi border "by the end of the ridge, then Turkey itself would clean the area of" terrorists " Russia should not stand in the way: Moscow had warned the YPG shortly after the agreement that Russian and Syrian troops stationed in the region to control the withdrawal would not provide protection.
According to the USA, all fighters left the area
Turkey regards the YPG, which controlled long areas on the Turkish-Syrian border, as an offshoot of the banned Kurdish Workers' Party PKK and thus as a terrorist organization. The aim of their offensive was the withdrawal of all Kurdish militia from the border strip.
Turkey had previously signed another agreement with the US, which had long cooperated with the YPG against the IS terrorist militia. It was part of the border area between the Syrian cities of Tall Abyad and Ras al-Ain.
The US had said at the end of the withdrawal period, citing Kurdish sources, all fighters had left the area. Nevertheless, there are reported to be continuing battles there. Cavusoglu said that "individual" fighters are still there. Turkey will also "neutralize the terrorists who are still there or those who have not yet left."