Turkey to clear southern border of terrorists: Erdogan

By Sena Guler </p> <p>ANKARA (AA) – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said Turkey will clear its southern border of terrorists, starting from Syria’s Manbij.</p> <p>Speaking at a campaign rally in Iskenderun district of southern Hatay province, Erdogan said that Turkey would give terrorists “lessons throughout our southern border starting from Manbij.”</p> <p>He recalled Turkey’s successful Operation Olive Branch in Syria’s Afrin and said his country will not allow a terror corridor against itself in northern Syria.</p> <p> </p> <p>“…we will establish a safe zone where our Syrian brothers can return home peacefully,” Erdogan added.</p> <p>Since 2016, Turkey’s Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations in northwestern Syria have liberated the region from YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists, including Al-Bab, Afrin and Azaz, making it possible for Syrians who fled the violence there to return home.</p> <p>Following the two successful operations, Turkey has vowed to carry out a counter-terrorist operation in Manbij and east of the Euphrates in northern Syria against the terrorist group YPG/PKK. </p> <p>In its 30-year terrorist campaign, the PKK — recognized as a terror group by the U.S., EU, and Turkey — has taken some 40,000 lives, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.