4 months ago
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Turkey's subject is acceptable to "support" Syria successful its conflict with Kurdish fighters successful the northwestern metropolis of Aleppo if Damascus asks for help, a Defence Ministry authoritative said connected Thursday (January 8, 2026).
And Turkey's apical diplomat said Ankara had been moving "intensively" with Syrian and American officials successful a bid to extremity the unrest.
Deadly clashes erupted this week betwixt Syrian authorities forces and the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Defence Forces (SDF) aft the 2 sides failed to scope a year-end deadline to merge the Kurdish fighters into the main Damascus military.
In Ankara, the Defence Ministry authoritative framed the clashes arsenic a "counter-terror operation", saying Turkey afloat backed "Syria's combat against violent organisations".
"Should Syria petition assistance, Turkey volition supply the indispensable support," helium said, echoing a long-standing connection by Ankara to widen subject enactment to its allies successful Damascus's caller Islamist government.
Turkey has agelong been hostile to the Kurdish SDF that controls swathes of northeastern Syria, seeing it arsenic an hold of the banned Kurdish militant radical PKK and a large menace on its confederate border.
It has repeatedly pushed for implementation of the alleged March 10 woody nether which the Kurds' semi-autonomous medication and subject would beryllium integrated into the Syrian subject and information apparatus.
The Kurds are pushing for decentralised rule, an thought which Syria's caller authorities person rejected, blocking the deal's implementation and causing gathering tension.
'Uncompromising stance'
The unrest successful Aleppo began connected Tuesday with a drawstring of equipped attacks that claimed 9 lives and prompted thousands to flee, with the 2 sides trading barbs implicit who was responsible.
The toll present stands astatine 17 dead.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey had been locked successful talks with Damascus and Washington to resoluteness the deadlock which helium blamed connected the SDF's "uncompromising stance".
"Over the past 2 days, we person been progressive successful intensive consultations with the Syrian broadside and the Americans. God willing, this volition beryllium resolved without further bloodshed," helium said.
"The SDF's insistence connected preserving what it controls astatine immoderate outgo constitutes 1 of the top obstacles to Syrian bid and stability," helium said, urging the unit to "abandon coercion and separatism".
Parliamentary talker Numan Kurtulmus besides warned against Israeli engagement successful the standoff aft its apical diplomat denounced the authorities cognition "against the Kurdish number successful Aleppo" arsenic "dangerous" for Syria's minorities.
"Let maine beryllium precise clear: Israel does not emotion the Kurds of Syria," Kurtulmus said, informing against efforts "to crook radical against each different connected ethnic, religious, and sectarian grounds".
