Türkiye acting against terrorist groups trying to exploit security situation in region

By Oguzhan Sari

ANKARA (AA) - Türkiye is taking steps against terrorist groups trying to exploit the security situation in neighboring Syria and the region at large, the country’s National Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

“Türkiye is taking preventive, destructive measures against terrorist groups that are trying to gain ground by taking advantage of the situation threatening the security of Syria and our region,” Rear Adm. Zeki Akturk, the ministry’s spokesman, told a weekly news conference in the capital Ankara.

On the situation in Syria after Sunday’s downfall of the Assad regime, Türkiye's resolve and attitude towards fighting terrorist groups remains clear, Akturk added.

Bashar Assad, Syria’s leader for 24 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus, ending the rule of the Baath Party, which had been in power since 1963.

Türkiye has long taken steps to thwart the schemes of terrorist groups in northern Syria, near the Turkish border, in particular Daesh/ISIS and the PKK/YPG.

In its 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, infants, and the elderly.

The YPG is the PKK's offshoot in Syria, an area where the group has tried to establish a terrorist corridor threatening Türkiye along its border.

In recent years Türkiye has deployed troops and worked with local allies such as the opposition Syrian National Army to eliminate this threat and keep locals safe from terrorist oppression.​​​​​​​