Türkiye will intervene at ‘slightest risk’ of Syria splintering – Erdogan

Ankara has the means and the will to prevent Syria from being divided, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that his country will intervene if necessary to avoid any division of Syria and will be “uncompromising” in its determination. 

The comments from Erdogan are seen as a veiled warning to the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as well as to the US, which backs the group against Islamic State forces. 

“We cannot accept under any pretext that Syria be divided and if we notice the slightest risk we will take the necessary measures,” the Turkish leader said in remarks following the first cabinet meeting of 2025. 

He added that Ankara has “more than enough power, capacity, and talent to do this.”

Erdogan said Türkiye could “come suddenly one night” without warning to prevent a splintering of its neighbor. He insisted that there is “no place for terrorism in the future of the region” and that those who choose terror will be “buried with their weapons.”

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Erdogan has repeatedly said that the Kurdish group poses a threat to Türkiye’s security and promised to prevent a “terror corridor” from opening up on its southern borders. Last month, he vowed to “bury” the Kurdish militants and called on NATO and the US to choose between supporting Türkiye or the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which is operating near the Turkish and Iraqi borders, along with other Kurdish groups.

Ankara views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and regards both as terrorist organizations.

The SDF, dominated by the YPG, has called for a nationwide ceasefire in Syria following the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government in early December to Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) jihadists. It has also called on the US to help protect Syrian territory from Turkish attacks and for an end to what it regards as Ankara’s occupation of the country’s northern regions.

However, around 100 people died in clashes between YPG forces and pro-Türkiye factions over the weekend, according to AFP.

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Türkiye, meanwhile, has attempted to foster ties with the new Syrian leadership, with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visiting Damascus last month and calling for the lifting of economically-crippling international sanctions on the country.