ANKARA: Turkiye will not hesitate to carry out a new offensive in northern Syria if Kurdish-led groups — which Ankara accuses of linked to outlawed Kurdish militants — go ahead with plans to hold local elections in the region, Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday.
A Kurdish-led autonomous administration that controls northern and eastern parts of Syria has announced plans to hold municipal elections on June 11. The vote to choose mayors will be held in the provinces of Hassakeh, Raqqa, Deir Ezzor and eastern part of Aleppo province.
Turkiye, which has launched military operations in Syria in the past, considers the move as a step by Syrian Kurdish militia toward the creation of an independent Kurdish entity across its border. It has described the planned polls as a threat to the territorial integrity of both Syria and Türkiye.
“We are closely following the aggressive actions by the terrorist organization against the territorial integrity of our country and of Syria under the pretext of an election,” Erdogan said after observing military exercises in western Türkiye.
“Turkiye will never allow the separatist organization to establish (a terror state) just beyond its southern borders in the north of Syria and Iraq,” he said.
Türkiye considers the Kurdish militia group, known as the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, as a terrorist group linked to an outlawed Kurdish group that has led an insurgency against Türkiye since 1984. That conflict with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, has killed tens of thousands of people.
The YPG however, makes up the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF — a key US ally in the fight against the Daesh group. American support for the SDF has infuriated Ankara and remains a major source of contention in their relations.
Türkiye has carried a series of military operations in Syria to drive out Syrian Kurdish militia away from its border since 2016, and controls a swath of territory in the north. Turkish leaders frequently speak of plans to establish a 30-kilometer (19-mile) deep safe zone along its border in Syria and Iraq, where the PKK has a foothold, to protect its borders.
“We did what was needed in the past in the face of a fait accompli. We will not hesitate to act again if we encounter the same situation,” Erdogan said.
Turkiye signals new military intervention in Syria if Kurdish groups hold municipal election
https://arab.news/2y6zr
Turkiye signals new military intervention in Syria if Kurdish groups hold municipal election
- A Kurdish-led autonomous administration that controls northern and eastern parts of Syria has announced plans to hold municipal elections on June 11
- The vote to choose mayors will be held in the provinces of Hassakeh, Raqqa, Deir Ezzor and eastern part of Aleppo province
President Abbas hopes 2026 brings progress on Palestinian statehood
- Leader endorses Gaza committee, cites positive indications from US administration to resolving cause
RAMALLAH: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday that Palestine is determined to continue its efforts with US President Donald Trump and other relevant partners.
He expressed hope that 2026 will witness progress toward resolving the Palestinian cause, citing positive indications from the US administration.
He was speaking during a ceremony marking his receipt of an honorary doctorate from the Arab American University in Ramallah.
Abbas said the state of Palestine has announced its support for the formation of the Palestinian Administrative Committee in the Gaza Strip during the transitional phase.
He expressed appreciation for the efforts of Trump and mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Turkiye, and for moving toward the implementation of the second phase of Trump’s plan.
Abbas reaffirmed the importance of linking the institutions of the PA in the West Bank and Gaza, stressing the need to avoid creating parallel administrative, legal, or security systems that would entrench division.
He outlined his political vision based on the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and return, and the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, living in peace and security with its neighbors.
The president said the Palestinian state would be democratic, based on equal citizenship, political pluralism, freedom of expression, the formation of political parties, the rule of law, good governance, human rights, integrity, and equality.
Abbas stressed that direct legislative and presidential elections are the foundation of democratic governance and the only path to the peaceful transfer of power under the rule of law, transparency, accountability, and the empowerment of women and youth.
He noted that work is underway to draft a temporary constitution and a political parties law in preparation for the upcoming elections.
Abbas affirmed that the Palestinian state remains committed to international law and the agreements and treaties signed with other states and international organizations.
The president reiterated that peaceful popular resistance, alongside political, diplomatic, and legal action, remains the strategic choice to end the occupation.
He said the Palestinian people continue to safeguard their presence, history, identity, and national memory despite immense challenges, adding that despite the catastrophe caused by the war in Gaza, they remain determined to rebuild the enclave and what has been destroyed across the West Bank.
Abbas also voiced confidence in Palestinian universities, saying they will not only transmit knowledge but also advance it through investment in scientific research and partnerships with the private sector and the state, emphasizing that science and technology are key drivers of national progress.
He stressed that it is time for the Palestinian people to write their own complete history, present their authentic narrative, and decisively refute false and distorted accounts that seek to misrepresent the reality and history of the Palestinian people.
