Erdogan Says Turkey 'Sick and Tired' of 'Terrorist Attacks' in Syria, Will 'Eliminate the Threats'

Ankara previously dispatched troops to the northern part of Syria and conducted joint operations with local militants against Kurdish forces in the region.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the situation in Syria on Monday, warning that his country will retaliate following reports that two Turkish police officers were killed in a shootout with Kurdish fighters.

"We have run out of patience", he said, as cited by Daily Sabah. "Turkey is determined to eliminate threats arising from northern Syria, either together with forces active there, or with our own means".

The Turkish government has been fighting the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) since the early 1980s. Ankara branded the group as a terrorist organisation, while the PKK has been fighting for the creation of an independent Kurdish state. Both sides signed a ceasefire agreement in 2013, but it collapsed just two years later following several terror attacks reportedly committed by PKK militants.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to journalists at parliament, in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020. Erdogan said on Wednesday that time was running up for Syrian government forces to retreat from Syria's northwestern Idlib province and warned of an "imminent" Turkish intervention to force the retreat.

© AP Photo / Burhan Ozbilici

In total, Ankara has conducted three major ops in Syria: Operation Euphrates Shield (2016-2017), Operation Olive Branch (2018), and Operation Peace Spring (2019). During those offensives, the Turkish military and pro-Turkish fighters entered northern Syria and occupied territory, battling against the Kurdish fighters and, in some cases, against the Syrian Arab Army.