Ankara announced on Wednesday that Turkish forces, backed by US-led coalition aircraft, had begun a military operation to clear the Syrian border town of Jarabulus of militants from the Daesh terrorist group. Turkish forces have also turned on Syrian Kurdish groups. On Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara will continue its operation until the threat posed by Kurdish militants active in the area is eliminated.
"The Turkish government should concentrate on Daesh instead of using the Syrian conflict to solve its internal problems. The Turkish government should solve its issues with the PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] through negotiations," Aita said.
Turkey has been shelling Kurdish militias in northern Syria along the Turkish border for months. Ankara claims Syrian Kurds have links to the PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by the Turkish authorities.
Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting a number of opposition factions and extremist groups. Daesh, a terrorist organization outlawed in a number of countries, including Russia, seized swaths of the country in 2014. Kurdish forces have also fought against Daesh, as well as seeking greater autonomy for Syria's Kurdish-dominated regions.
