ANKARA – The Turkish army said it launched new strikes on Saturday againstthe Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia in northern Syria, amidmounting expectations of a cross-border ground operation.
The army said it hit in “legitimate self-defence” camps and refuges used bythe YPG in response to fire coming from the Afrin region controlled by themilitia group, which Turkey deems to be a terror organisation.
Similar strikes had also taken place on Friday, it confirmed.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly threatened over the last daysto launch a ground operation, also including pro-Ankara Syrian rebels, tooust the YPG from Afrin and the area.
Turkey accuses the YPG of being the Syrian offshoot of the KurdistanWorkers Party (PKK) which has waged a rebellion in the Turkish southeastfor more than three decades and is regarded as a terror group by Ankara andits Western allies.
But the YPG has been the key ally of Turkey’s fellow NATO member the UnitedStates (US) in the fight against Islamic State militants, playing a keyrole in pushing the extremists out of their Syrian strongholds.
Turkish Defence Minister Nurettin Canikli said on Friday that the operationhad “de-facto begun” because of the shelling but confirmed that Turkishtroops had not yet crossed over into Syria.
Analysts say that crucial for any major ground operation will be approvalfrom Moscow which has a military presence in the area and a cordialrelationship with the YPG.
Turkey’s army chief General Hulusi Akar and spy chief Hakan Fidan were inMoscow on Thursday for talks with Russian counterparts on Syria.