Turkey tightened measures to tackle security threats along its southern borders with Syria, as Turkish-backed forces pursue a campaign to clear the Islamic State and Kurdish fighters from a strip of the northern war-torn-country. The boosts to border defense comes as Turkey continues its “Operation Euphrates Shield”, launched in August, in an effort to push the Islamic State away from Turkish territories and stop the advance of a Syrian Kurdish militia. The operation has led to Turkish-backed rebels seizing the Syrian town of al-Bab from the Islamic State last week, deepening Turkish influence in northern Syria and effectively creating a buffer zone. While Euphrates Shield has been largely focused so far on combating the Islamic State, Ankara is determined to prevent the Kurdish YPG militia, which it considers a terrorist group, from linking the regions it controls along the Turkish border.
Ankara fears that advances by the YPG in Syria could enflame a Kurdish insurgency across Turkey. Thus, Ankara’s next declared target is the border-town of Manbij, which was conquered by Kurdish forces, backed by the US-led coalition, a reality that has raised tension between Washington and Ankara.
“Once the operation in al-Bab is completed we will move towards Manbij. The operation has not started yet. There may be harassing fire on the ground but the Manbij operation, that is planned by our army and will be carried out together will local forces, has not started yet. We are aware that U.S. special forces are present in that region. We know that they are also present in other areas where YPG forces are deployed. YPG forces should leave Manbij as soon as possible. This is our demand from the new U.S. administration,” said Cavsoglu.
Foreign Minister Cavusoglu noted that after the Turkish military seizes control of Manbij, it would direct its attention to the de-facto capital of the Islamic State in Syria, Raqqa, as talks are ongoing with the United States on the matter of Ankara’s role in the liberation of the strategic city.