Erdogan Pledges to Respond to Attacks From Syria's Kurdish-Controlled Territory

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Ankara will respond to the mortar attacks conducted from the area controlled by Syrian Kurds.

ANKARA (Sputnik) – Turkey plans to respond to the mortar attacks conducted from the area controlled by Syrian Kurds during the past two days, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday.

"[Turkey] has been subjected to mortar fire from the Syrian side for already two days. The enemy has been identified. How can we leave it without response? We will do what needs to be done," Erdogan said.

Erdogan noted that some people in northern Syria want to establish their own state, hinting at the Syrian Kurds.

"We strongly oppose establishment of the [Kurdish] state and will not permit creation of a terrorist corridor in Syria. I expect the allies to show solidarity with regard to the issue," Erdogan stressed.

On Wednesday, Turkish General Staff said that two checkpoints in Turkey's Hatay province, bordering Syria, were attacked from Afrin, controlled by the Kurdish Democratic Union Party’s (PYD) military wing, dubbed the People's Protection Units (YPG). Most recently, on Thursday, Kurdish media reported that the YPG killed 17 Turkish servicemen and left three others wounded.

Tensions between Ankara and the Kurds was heightened in July 2015 when a ceasefire between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is outlawed in Turkey, collapsed over a series of terror attacks allegedly committed by PKK members. Ankara regards the PYD and the YPG as affiliates of the PKK. On Tuesday, Turkey carried out airstrikes on Kurdish positions in Syria and Iraq.