Fri Dec 20 21:16:45 UTC 2024: ## Turkey Equates Kurdish YPG with ISIS, Demands End to Foreign Support

**Ankara, Turkey** – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued a stark warning, equating the Kurdish YPG fighters with ISIS and declaring that neither group has a future in Syria. He called on foreign powers, particularly the United States, to cease support for the YPG following the recent toppling of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Erdogan’s comments, released Friday, followed a summit in Egypt. He asserted that with Assad’s removal, there is no longer any justification for external backing of the YPG, the main component of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara, Washington, and the European Union.

The President explicitly compared the YPG to ISIS, stating that both groups must be eradicated for a peaceful Syria. He vowed that the leaders of these groups would be swiftly defeated. This statement comes amidst escalating tensions in northern Syria, where Turkey and its Syrian allies recently seized the city of Manbij from the SDF.

This offensive prompted a fragile US-brokered ceasefire, but concerns remain high. Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock expressed alarm over the situation, highlighting the displacement and fear among Kurdish civilians following the recent violence. She stressed that security for the Kurdish population is crucial for a stable Syria and warned against further escalation with Kurdish forces. She underscored that Germany’s security interests shouldn’t be compromised by increased conflict. Her Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, reiterated Turkey’s demand that Kurdish groups disarm and disband.

Meanwhile, a senior US diplomat, Barbara Leaf, confirmed that Washington is actively pushing for a ceasefire around Kobane (Ain al-Arab), a key flashpoint city in northern Syria, engaging in discussions with both Turkish authorities and the SDF. The US maintains a 2,000-strong military presence in Syria, continuing to work alongside the SDF, which played a significant role in defeating ISIS. The ongoing situation remains precarious, with the potential for further conflict posing a significant challenge to regional stability.

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