Türkiye is ready to provide military support to Syria

“Türkiye is ready to provide necessary support if the new government in Syria requests it,” Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said today, arguing that the Syrian leadership should be given the opportunity to govern. country after constructive messages.

“In the first statement, the new administration said that they will respect all government institutions, the United Nations and other international organizations. We think it is necessary to watch what they will do and give them the opportunity “, he said.

Minister Guler revealed that Türkiye can discuss and reevaluate its military presence in Syria with the new government when necessary conditions exist. He affirmed that Türkiye’s priority is still to eliminate the Kurdish YPG militia, part of the US-backed Syrian opposition group, and Ankara has made this clear to Washington.

Mr. Guler said Ankara sees no signs that the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) will rise again in Syria as warned by the US. He also commented that Russia, a longtime ally of the Assad regime, may not completely withdraw its troops from Syria.

“I don’t think Russia will leave Syria. They will do everything to stay,” he said, adding that Russian forces are moving military assets to Hmeymim air base and Tartus military port.

The opposition alliance led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group on December 8 occupied the capital Damascus, forcing President Bashar al-Assad to leave Syria. This force then selected Mr. Mohammad al-Bashir as interim prime minister, responsible for leading the transitional government until March 1, 2025.

Since 2016, Türkiye has conducted four military operations across northern Syria under the pretext of responding to threats to national security. Ankara is said to maintain several thousand troops in towns such as Afrin, Azez and Jarablus in northwestern Syria, as well as Ras al Ain and Tel Abyad in the northeastern region.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls some of Syria’s largest oil fields and is led by the YPG, is America’s main ally in the campaign against IS.

Ankara views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an organization that has carried out many bloody attacks in Türkiye for decades and is listed as a terrorist group by the country and its Western allies. dad.