SULAIMANI (ESTA) — After Turkish warplanes had unleashed a new offensive in northern Syria [Rojava] and the Kurdistan Region on Sunday against the Kurdish groups, Erdogan said Monday “operations would not be limited to just an air campaign.”
Turkish warplanes had already renewed air strikes on Kurdish YPG militant positions in Syria and the PKK in the Kurdistan Region, destroying 89 targets, according to authorities in Ankara.
Speaking to reporters on his return from a trip to Qatar, Turkey’s Erdogan said the operations would not be limited to just an air campaign and that discussions would be held on the involvement of ground forces.
“It is not limited to just an air campaign,” Erdogan was quoted by Turkish media as saying.
“Our defense ministry and our general staff decide together how much of the land forces should take part. We make our consultations, and then we take our steps accordingly.”
RETALIATION
The defense ministry said the weekend operation was in retaliation for a bomb attack in Istanbul last week that killed six people. Authorities have blamed the attack on the “outlawed” Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The PKK and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes the YPG, have denied involvement in the bombing on Nov. 13.
The PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984. It is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union.
