By Muhammet Emin Avundukluoglu
ANKARA (AA) – The PKK/PYD/YPG terror group should know that they would be buried in their own trenches in Syria's Manbij region, Turkey's national defense minister said on Thursday.
“The terror group is digging ditches in Manbij as they have done in Afrin, despite promises made for PKK/PYD/YPG's withdrawal from Manbij, ” Hulusi Akar told lawmakers in the planning and budget commission.
“The terror group [YPG/PKK] should know that it will be buried in the trenches it has dug, ” he said.
Akar added that Turkey still faced terror threats as Iraqi and Kurdish regional governments have not taken effective steps against PKK.
“In this regard, our operations will continue until the terror threat from Iraqi territories is defeated, ” said Akar.
The Manbij deal between Turkey and the U.S. focuses on the withdrawal of YPG/PKK terrorists from the city to stabilize the region in the northeast of Aleppo province in northern Syria.
In its more than 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 death of some 40,000 people, including those of women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.
