Turkey will not leave Syria until other countries pull out, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying on Friday. He also said that Ankara will continue its cross-border offensive against Kurdish fighters until every one of them has left the region, Reuters reports.
“We will not let up until every last terrorist leaves the region,” Erdogan said, referring to the YPG, the main component of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which Ankara views as a terrorist organization.
Speaking to reporters on a flight home from Hungary, Erdogan also said that Turkey “will not leave here until the other countries get out,” according to broadcaster NTV.
Turkey launched its third military incursion into northeast Syria last month to drive Kurdish YPG fighters from its border and to establish a “safe zone” where it aims to settle up to two million Syrian refugees.