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The Turkish president stated that Syria‘s new administration is taking a very firm stance on preserving the country’s territorial integrity and unified structure against separatist forces, referring to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that the new Syrian leadership is determined to eradicate separatists, hinting at potential participation in fighting Kurdish forces in the northeast. Meanwhile, the Turkish government announced its armed forces had “neutralized” 32 PKK members in military operations in northern Syria.

These statements come as Ahmed Shar’a, head of the transitional administration in Syria, repeatedly emphasized his intention to involve all communities and ethnic groups, including Kurds, in building the new Syria. The SDF has not ruled out joining the Ministry of Defense under certain conditions.

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Last month, opposition groups close to Turkey overthrew Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Since then, Turkish-backed Syrian forces have occasionally clashed in the north with U.S.-backed Kurdish forces, which Turkey deems terrorist.

Dozens of Kurdish militants and members of Turkish-backed factions have been killed and wounded in these clashes.

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Speaking at a regional congress of his party in Trabzon, Erdogan said:
“The hopes of the separatist terrorist organization are fading in the face of the revolution in Syria. The new Syrian administration is taking a very firm stance to preserve the country’s territorial integrity.”

He added: “The end of the terrorist organization is near. Its members have no choice but tosurrender their weapons, abandon terrorism, and dissolve their organization. They will face Turkey’s iron fist.”

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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated on Monday that eliminating PKK fighters in Syria is “only a matter of time.”

Erdogan previously claimed that Turkey had not directly intervened in Syria but had contributed to its current state by supporting the end of al-Assad’s regime and aiding the rise of new leaders.

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However, Ahmed Shar’a has not mentioned any steps to participate in the attacks launched by Turkish-backed factions on Kurdish areas in the northeast. Officials from the new Syrian administration have called on Kurdish leaders to expel foreign fighters, particularly PKK militants entrenched in northern Syria.

SDF leader Mazloum Abdi set several conditions for joining the army and the political process, including moving away from hegemonic control over Syrian political and military decisions and rejecting foreign tutelage, referring to Turkey.

Separately, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that 32 PKK members had been “neutralized” as part of its operation in northern Syria.

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