UPDATE - Turkey says will clear Syria's Tal Rifaat of terrorists

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS FROM DEPUTY PM AND BACKGROUNDS; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Sarp Ozer and Aynur Ekiz

ANKARA (AA) - The Syrian city of Tal Rifaat will be rid of the terrorist group YPG/PYD, just like Afrin, Turkey’s deputy prime minister said on Thursday.

"Just as Afrin was cleared of the YPG/PYD terror organization, now Tal Rifaat will be cleared," Bekir Bozdag told news channel Haberturk.

Turkey on Jan. 20 launched Operation Olive Branch to clear terrorist groups from Afrin, northwestern Syria, near Turkey's border, amid growing threats from the region.

On March 18, day 58 of the operation, Turkish troops and the Free Syrian Army members announced that the city had been liberated.

Stating that YPG/PYD terror group’s aim is to establish a terror corridor in Syria and form a terror state there, he added that Tal Rifaat will be rid of the terrorist group YPG/PYD.

“Manbij [Syria] will be next, and it will be followed by the east of the Euphrates,” Bozdag said.

He stressed that Turkey wants to take steps both in Manbij and east of the Euphrates in agreement with the U.S.

-Sinjar

“We really want Sinjar [Iraq] and other places to be cleared of the terror group and terrorists,” Bozdag said, decrying how terror groups in the region try to hide by changing their names.

Bozdag added that Ankara and Bagdad have discussed the Sinjar issue, and the Iraqi army entered the region, while Turkey is watching developments.

“We have no problem when it is done, but if not, then Turkey has the power and ability to clear out these terrorists,” he said.

In late March, Iraqi troops were deployed in Sinjar after members of the PKK terrorist group withdrew from the district.

The PKK first established a foothold in Sinjar in 2014 on the pretext that it was “protecting” the local Ezidi community from the terrorist group Daesh.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has hinted at a military campaign to dislodge the PKK from Sinjar.

In its 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people.

- Fight against Fetullah Terrorist Organization

On the extension of Turkey’s state of emergency, Bozdag said it is “clearly needed” as Turkey’s active fight against terrorism continues.

“It will be extended if the Turkish parliament approves,” he added.

Turkey declared a state of emergency for the first time on July 20, 2016 following a deadly defeated coup attempt by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

Speaking about the arrests of accused coup-plotters, the deputy premier said: “To date Turkish intelligence agency MIT has brought 80 FETO suspects to Turkey from 18 countries.

“The fight against FETO isn’t over. We all know that it’s not possible to bring down a 40-year-old terror organization in one or two years,” Bozdag said.

Bozdag praised MIT’s FETO operation last week in Kosovo, which resulted in six senior alleged members of FETO being brought back to Turkey, calling it a “success story.”

Rebuffing rumors of early elections, Bozdag said the polls will be held as scheduled in March and November 2019.