Turkey is determined to eliminate terrorism near its borders and will destroy all the terror camps that will be identified in Iraq and Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday.
“We will destroy every terror camp we identify in Iraq and Syria… It is our fundamental right to hit terrorists wherever they are located,” Erdogan was quoted as saying by the Anadolu news agency.
The Turkish president recalled the success of Turkey-backed Euphrates Shield operation in Syria aimed at liberating northern Syria from the Islamic State (Daesh) terrorist group and the deployment of the Turkish military forces in Syria’s province of Idlib.
In March, Ankara announced the successful completion of Euphrates Shield operation, during which Turkish-led forces drove out Daesh from a number of towns and cities in northern Syria. However, Ankara has continued military operations against Syrian Kurdish armed groups, suspected by Turkey of having links with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey.
The Turkish forces have also carried out raids targeting Kurdish positions in Northern Iraq. Ankara has stated on numerous occasions that the Turkish armed forces will remain in the Bashika camp in Northern Iraq until the terrorist threat on Turkey’s borders is completely eliminated.