ISTANBUL: Turkey and the US can join forces to turn Daesh’s de facto capital of Raqqa in Syria into a “graveyard” for the terrorists, the Turkish president said on Saturday.
“The huge America, the coalition and Turkey can join hands and turn Raqqa into a graveyard for Daesh,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan told an Istanbul meeting.
“They will look for a place for themselves to hide,” he said.
Erdogan’s comments come ahead of a meeting with President Donald Trump on May 16 in the US.
Turkey sees the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria as a terrorist group linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been waging a deadly insurgency against Ankara since 1984.
But for the US, the YPG is essential in the fight against Daesh.
Erdogan repeated his call to the US to cease its support of the YPG in combating Daesh. “The YPG, and you know who’s supporting them, are attacking us with mortars. But we will make those places their grave, there is no stopping,” Erdogan said.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s military killed 14 members of the PKK in airstrikes in northern Iraq, the military said in a statement.
Six militants were killed around the area of Sinat-Haftan and eight in the countryside around Adiyaman in two separate airstrikes, the military said.
The PKK, which has carried out a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state, has camps in the mountains of northern Iraq, near the Turkish border.
In another development, Turkey’s military has relocated a convoy of armored vehicles and personnel carriers to a base near the Syrian border, local media and activists reported Saturday.
Footage shot Friday night showed a long line of trucks carrying military vehicles driving to the area. The private Ihlas news agency reported the convoy was heading to southeastern Sanliurfa province from Kilis in the west.
The agency said the relocation comes after Turkish officials announced the completion of a phase of Turkey’s cross-border operation in Syria, adding that the force may be used against Syrian Kurdish militants “if needed.”
Turkish officials announced the conclusion of Operation Euphrates Shield in March but have said they would continue combatting terror to make its borders safe, pointing to both Daesh and Kurdish militants.
Turkey, US can turn Raqqa into ‘graveyard’ for Daesh: Erdogan
Turkey, US can turn Raqqa into ‘graveyard’ for Daesh: Erdogan
Spain highlights importance of Gaza reconstruction
- Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway
RAMALLAH: The Palestinian prime minister, Mohammed Mustafa, and the Spanish foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, on Friday discussed the latest developments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
During their telephone conversation they emphasized the need to intensify international efforts to end the Israeli occupation and halt attacks and settler violence, and to secure the release of Palestinian funds held by Israeli authorities.
They affirmed the importance of ongoing efforts relating to plans for the reconstruction of Gaza, and Europe’s significant role in this process. Mustafa and Albares highlighted the need to unify Palestinian institutions in Gaza with those in the West Bank, with the aim of establishing a Palestinian state in line with international resolutions, including last year’s New York Declaration.
They also discussed coordination between their countries, and the strengthening of Spain’s political, diplomatic and financial support for Palestine, and Mustafa thanked Spain for its ongoing support.
Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway. Estephan Salameh, the Palestinian finance and planning minister, is set to visit Spain this month to discuss enhanced cooperation, particularly in the areas of development and reconstruction. Meanwhile, Israel continues operating in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Prisoners media office said on Friday that Israel carried out numerous raids across the territory, including the major cities of Ramallah and Hebron, according to The Associated Press.
Nearly 50 people were detained, following the arrest of at least 50 other Palestinians on Thursday, most of those in the Ramallah area.
As 2026 begins, the shaky 12-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has largely ended large-scale Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
But Palestinians are still being killed by Israeli fire, especially along the so-called Yellow Line that delineates areas under Israeli control, and the humanitarian crisis is compounded by frequent winter rains and colder temperatures.
On Friday, American actor and film producer Angelina Jolie visited the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
The only crossing between the territory and a country other than Israel, it remains closed despite Palestinian requests to reopen it to people and aid.
Jolie met with members of the Red Crescent on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing and then visited a hospital in the nearby city of Arish to speak with Palestinian patients on Friday, according to Egyptian officials.
Aid groups say not enough shelter materials are getting into Gaza during the truce.
