ISTANBUL: Turkey鈥檚 president slammed a US-backed Syrian Kurdish militant group Sunday and said he鈥檒l clear his country鈥檚 border with Syria of 鈥渢errorists.鈥�
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a rally in the central province of Karaman his country would not allow 鈥渢error nests鈥� near its border, referring to areas held by the People鈥檚 Protection Units or YPG in northern Syria.
Turkey considers the YPG an extension of a Kurdish insurgency within its own borders, and launched an operation in August 2016 to clear part of its border of their and the Daesh group鈥檚 presence.
Erdogan announced an expanded list of areas to be cleared. 鈥淲e will clean Afrin of terrorists, we will clean Manbij of terrorists. We will clean Tel Abyad, Ras Al-Ayn and Qamishli of terrorists,鈥� he said.
Turkey has a military presence in the western Syrian province of Idlib as part of a de-escalation agreement struck with Russia and Iran. The province borders YPG-controlled Afrin and Turkey has threatened to attack the group there.
Erdogan has frequently expressed frustration with the Syrian Kurdish militant group鈥檚 presence at Turkey鈥檚 border. But it鈥檚 rare that he mentions Qamishli, a town further east controlled by both the Syrian Kurds and Syrian President Bashar Assad鈥檚 government.
Turkish officials regularly criticize the US for backing and arming Syrian Kurds in combatting IS, a sticky issue in already tense bilateral relations.
Last month, Turkey鈥檚 foreign minister said President Donald Trump promised to stop arming the militant group but the Pentagon said it was reviewing the process, stopping short of announcing a halt to weapons transfers.
Erdogan chided the NATO member鈥檚 allies, saying they 鈥渨ill really be our allies when they stop working with structures we consider terror organizations in Syria.鈥�