Turkey to clear southern border of terrorists: Erdogan

By Sena Guler

ANKARA (AA) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said Turkey will clear its southern border of terrorists, starting from Syria’s Manbij.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Iskenderun district of southern Hatay province, Erdogan said that Turkey would give terrorists “lessons throughout our southern border starting from Manbij.”

He recalled Turkey’s successful Operation Olive Branch in Syria’s Afrin and said his country will not allow a terror corridor against itself in northern Syria.

“...we will establish a safe zone where our Syrian brothers can return home peacefully,” Erdogan added.

Since 2016, Turkey’s Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations in northwestern Syria have liberated the region from YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists, including Al-Bab, Afrin and Azaz, making it possible for Syrians who fled the violence there to return home.

Following the two successful operations, Turkey has vowed to carry out a counter-terrorist operation in Manbij and east of the Euphrates in northern Syria against the terrorist group YPG/PKK.

In its 30-year terrorist campaign, the PKK -- recognized as a terror group by the U.S., EU, and Turkey -- has taken some 40,000 lives, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.