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Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that Turkish forces may soon carry out an attack on the city of Afrin, a stronghold of the US-backed Kurdish forces in northwestern Syria on January 14.
Turkey says that YPG and YPJ militias that control Afrin are terrorist groups with links to the PKK, a Kurdish separatist militant organization opearting in Turkey’s southeast.
“In coming days, we will continue our operations in Afrin to clear our southern border,” Erdogan told a meeting of his party in Tokat province on January 14.
The president added that he’s waiting for backing from allies, without elaborating. A meeting of Turkey’s National Security Council, which advises on military actions, is scheduled on January 17.
Previously Erdogan threatened US-backed forces in Syria on January 13.
“If the terrorists [the SDF] in Afrin don’t surrender, we will tear them down,” Erdogan said during a meeting with member of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the eastern city of Elazig.
