Turkey to ‘Definitely’ Complete ‘Security’ Corridor in Syria: Erdogan
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Turkey’s president said his country will complete the 30-kilometer-deep (18.6-mile) “security strip” along its southern border in Syria.
Speaking at a meeting in southern Sanliurfa province on Saturday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that attacks will not deter the country from “its determined stance on securing its southern border”, Anadolu Agency reported.
"We will definitely complete the 30-kilometer-deep security corridor that we are establishing along our southern borders, attacks will not dampen our resolve," he said.
Turkey blames Kurdish militants for the blast on Istanbul’s Istiklal Avenue, which killed six people and injured more than 80. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast.
Turkey has deployed forces in Syria in violation of the Arab country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Ankara-backed militants were deployed to northeastern Syria in October 2019 after Turkish military forces launched a long-threatened cross-border invasion in a declared attempt to push YPG fighters away from border areas.
Ankara views the YPG, which controls swathes of Syria’s northern border region, as a terrorist organization tied to the homegrown Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which has been seeking an autonomous Kurdish region in Turkey since 1984.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other senior officials have said Damascus will respond through all legitimate means available to Turkey’s ongoing ground offensive.
