Hakan Fidan: Turkish Army to take action in Syria against Kurds if new government does not do so

The Turkish Foreign Minister, said today (10.01.2025) that the new Syrian administration should face the presence of Kurdish militants in , but if it does not, then the Turkish army will take action. Recently, Hakan Fidan stated that “the elimination of them is a matter of time, ” stressing that the Kurdish militia “People Protection Units” must be dissolved, put down weapons and Kurdish militants to leave the country. CORVERSE “We see that there is an agenda in the new administration to end the occupation and terror created by YPGs in the region,” Fidan said at a press conference he granted Istanbul. “ We believe that they should be given an opportunity to see this. We are waiting for this now, ” he said. Ankara has threatened to launch a military operation against Kurdish forces, which control northeastern Syria, if its claims are not met. Fidan said he does not expect any problems with the United States in tackling terrorism in Syria despite their support for YPGs, although this is an issue for the upcoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump. CORVERSE Ankara, he said, is reviewing its presence in parts of northern Syria where it controls ground after carrying out several attacks across the border against YPGs. “ We are in a new period… (and) our presence there should, God willing to develop into a different dimension if everything goes well, ” he said. Russian bases in Syria Turkey considers that the YPGs, which have been the spearhead of the U.S. allies Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), are a terrorist organisation linked to the militants who have been rebelling for decades against the Turkish state. Washington thinks they are critical allies in the fight against the Islamic State organization. Answering a question about Russia’s role in Syria and the future of its military bases in coastal Syria, Fidan said he believes Moscow made a “very reasonable decision” by interrupting its support for Assad, while the rebels marched towards Damascus. Russian base in Tartus/Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS The future of its air and naval base depends on negotiations with the new Syrian administration, he said. Public execution of Assad’s ally The Syrian Human Rights Watch today (10.01.20205) the public execution of the mayor of Mumar, a suburb north of Damascus, considered loyal to Bashar al-Assad’s regime, by armed officers associated with the new Syrian authorities. “ Massen Neneh, known for his faith in the old regime, was executed ” by gunmen in the armed coalition that took power on December 8, announced the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. He was accused of “constituting false security reports” that cost many young people in the area in prison and torture, according to the Observatory. The local official was responsible for the death of many young people in his area. The new leadership has not commented on the death of Mazen Neneh, who, according to the Observatory, caused scenes of joy of the inhabitants of Mumar. In recent days, the new Syrian authorities have been operating in many areas of the country in search of officials from the previous regime. Among those arrested during these operations are “informers of the security services of the regime, armed loyal to the regime and pro-Iran and junior officers for whom there is evidence that they have committed murders and torture, ” the Syrian Human Rights Watch had announced in late December. The director of the non-governmental organization, Rami Abdelrahman, had stated that “some individuals, among them informants, were arrested and killed immediately, which is absolutely unacceptable. ”