{"id":59732,"date":"2018-12-12T20:13:07","date_gmt":"2018-12-12T20:13:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/12\/12\/turkey-vows-military-operation-against-us-backed-kurdish-militia-in-syria\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T10:11:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T10:11:48","slug":"turkey-vows-military-operation-against-us-backed-kurdish-militia-in-syria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/12\/12\/turkey-vows-military-operation-against-us-backed-kurdish-militia-in-syria\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkey vows military operation against US-backed Kurdish militia in Syria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ANKARA, Turkey \u2014 Turkey will launch a new military operation against U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters<\/a> in Syria \u201cwithin a few days,\u201d President Recep Tayyip Erdogan<\/a> said Wednesday, a move likely to further strain ties between NATO allies Turkey and the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent months, Turkey has shelled Kurdish positions<\/a> across the border in Syria, east of the Euphrates River, and has threatened to drive out the Syrian Kurdish militia known as the People\u2019s Protection Units, or YPG.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The YPG is the main component of a Kurdish-led militia in Syria that rolled back the Islamic State group<\/a> with the help of the U.S.-led coalition. Ankara views YPG fighters as terrorists because of their links to the Kurdish insurgency inside Turkey. U.S. troops are deployed with the Kurdish fighters<\/a> in northeastern Syria, in part to prevent clashes with Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We will begin our operation to rescue the east of the Euphrates from the separatist organization within a few days,” Erdogan said. “Our target is not the American soldiers, it is the terror organizations that are active in the region.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He called on the U.S. not to allow “deep” disagreements over Syria policy to impede future cooperation between the two countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\t