Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed on Monday his readiness to "take necessary measures" to swiftly eliminate threats against his forces, following recent attacks targeting them in northern Syria. Upon leaving a government meeting, Erdogan stated, "We are determined to eliminate the threats coming from Syria ourselves," noting that "his patience is running thin."
Six individuals, including civilians, were killed on Monday in a car bomb explosion in the city of Afrin in northern Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The city of Afrin and other areas under the control of Turkish forces and their Syrian allies occasionally witness bombings involving vehicles and motorcycles, with very few claiming responsibility for these attacks. Ankara often accuses Kurdish fighters, whom it designates as "terrorists," of being behind such incidents.
Erdogan continued that "the recent attacks and harassment targeting our police forces have reached their peak," clarifying, "We will take the necessary measures as soon as possible." He added: "Our patience is running thin regarding these areas in Syria from which terrorist attacks against our country are launched."
Thousands of opposition fighters and civilians who were evacuated from various Syrian regions due to the takeover by Syrian forces reside in Afrin, including fighters from the "Army of Islam," which was the strongest group in the Eastern Ghouta, a former stronghold of opposition near Damascus.
The Afrin region, previously predominantly Kurdish, constitutes the third region of Kurdish self-administration before Turkish forces and their Syrian allies seized it in March 2018 following a wide-ranging offensive against the Kurdish fighters. Since 2016, Turkey and allied Syrian factions have taken control of large border areas in northern Syria after conducting multiple operations against Kurdish fighters and ISIS.
Syria has been embroiled in a bloody conflict since 2011, which has resulted in the deaths of around half a million people and caused massive destruction to infrastructure and productive sectors, leading to the displacement and uprooting of millions of residents both internally and externally.
