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Erdogan vows to end terrorism in northern Iraq and Syria

May 9, 2023 at 1:12 pm

Turkish President and Leader of the Justice and Development (AK) Party, Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech as he attends an electoral rally organized by his party in Kayseri, Turkiye on May 06, 2023 [Sercan Küçükşahin – Anadolu Agency]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to “drain the swamp of terrorism” in northern Iraq and Syria. Erdogan stressed his country’s determination to eliminate terrorism in Turkiye’s neighbouring countries.

“We will resolutely continue our battle against terrorist organisations and the forces behind them,” he insisted. “We will completely drain the swamp of terrorism in northern Iraq and Syria, just as we are about to dry it up inside our land.”

Erdogan stressed that Turkish military operations beyond the country’s borders have not ended and that they are just waiting for the right time. He pointed out that Turkiye’s destruction of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) hideouts in Iraq’s Qandil Mountain is imminent.

Turkiye and some other countries have designated the PKK as a terrorist organisation, and Ankara is carrying out operations against the group. The PKK is active in several countries in the region, including Syria, Iraq and Iran.

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