Turkey to crush Kurdish militants if they don’t leave Syria safe zone, warns Erdogan

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey will use its right to crush Kurdish militants from the People's Protection Units (YPG) if they do not withdraw from a so-called "safe zone" in northern Syria under a truce agreement with Russia to run joint patrols around the area.

On Thursday, Erdogan renewed a threat to resume a military offensive in northeast Syria through a televised speech, saying Ankara would implement its plans for another cross-border operation if YPG militants did not withdraw from border areas.

PressTV-Turkey may well restart engine of war, Erdogan threatens

If the promises are not kept until Tuesday, the operation will start over, the Turkish leader said.

The Turkish president then leveled criticism at some heads of state over meeting and holding talks with high-ranking YPG figures, saying such moves hindered the fight against terrorism.

Erdogan then mocked Europeans’ fears over a possible influx of Syrian refugees, repeating his threats to "open the gates" for them to reach Europe.

“When we say we will open the gates, they are up in arms. Don't be up in arms, the gates will be opened when the time comes,” he said, adding, “Let's see you host hundreds of thousands of people, let's see how you would do this work.”

Nine Iraqi refugees drown off Turkish coast

At least nine Iraqi asylum seekers including seven children die after their boat sinks off the Turkish town of Kusadasi en route to Greece.

“You have money, you are strong, but when 100, 200 people go to Greece by sea, you rush to the phone, saying: 'A hundred people, 200 people arrived on the islands'.

“Look here, there are four million people. You do not say anything about this,” he added scornfully.

Turkey reportedly hosts more than 3.6 million Syrian refugees. Ankara struck a deal with the European Union in 2016 in an effort to stem the flow of asylum seekers, agreeing to take back migrants landing on Greek islands in exchange for incentives, including financial aid.

European Parliament members condemn Turkey’s Syria offensive

In a relevant development on Thursday, the European Parliament condemned Turkey's military intervention in northeastern Syria, urging Ankara to withdraw its forces.

In the resolution, MEPs said the Turkish offensive "represents a serious violation of international law, and that it compromises the stability and security of the region as a whole."

MEPs also called on member states to take "a series of targeted sanctions and visa bans" against any top Turkish officials "responsible for human rights violations" during the incursion as well as those "responsible for the repression of fundamental rights in Turkey," AFP reported.

They voiced fears of a resurgence of the Daesh forces because of the attack and asked EU leaders to rethink a controversial migration pact with Turkey.

"MEPs find it unacceptable that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has turned refugees into weapons and used them to blackmail the EU," the MEPs said.

Members of the European Parliament also urged member states to consider "the suspension of trade preferences under the agreement on agricultural products and, as a last resort, the suspension of the customs union" between the European Union and Turkey.

Reacting to the MEPs through a statement, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said, "We reject in totality the approach adopted today by the European Parliament on Operation Source of Peace."

It added, "No force will be able to prevent Turkey from taking the necessary measures to ensure its security."

5 Turkish soldiers wounded in Syria's Ra's al-Ayn

Meanwhile, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said  in a statement on Thursday that five Turkish soldiers had been wounded in the Syrian border town of Ra's al-Ayn in an attack carried out by YPG militants.

The attack was conducted using drones, mortars and light weapons, the ministry said.

PressTV-Russia, Turkey strike deal on north Syria safe zone

Russia and Turkey have agreed to remove Kurdish militants from border areas in northern Syria and launch joint patrols there.

On Tuesday evening, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Erdogan signed a memorandum of understanding, stating that Kurdish YPG forces must withdraw from the Turkish-ruled "safe zone" in northeast Syria within 150 hours, after which Ankara and Moscow will run joint patrols around the area.

The announcement was made hours before a US-brokered five-day truce between Turkish and Kurdish-led forces was due to expire. 

On October 9, Turkish military forces and Ankara-backed militants launched a long-threatened cross-border invasion of northeast Syria in a declared attempt to push YPG militants away from border areas.

Ankara views the US-backed YPG as a terrorist organization tied to the homegrown Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been seeking an autonomous Kurdish region in Turkey since 1984. The YPG constitutes the backbone of the Kurdish-dominated do-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

PressTV-Turkey starts war against Kurds in northeastern Syria

Turkish military and allied forces have launched a cross-border offensive against Kurdish YPG militants in northeastern Syria.

The Kurdish-led administration in northeastern Syria says the Turkish offensive has killed 218 civilians, including 18 children, since its outset. The fighting has also wounded more than 650 people.

Twenty civilians have also been killed in attacks by the YPG on Turkish territory, according to Turkish officials.

 On October 17, US Vice President Mike Pence said Washington and Ankara had agreed on a five-day ceasefire in Turkey's attacks on Kurdish fighters in the region. 

PressTV-Turkey, US agree to temporary ceasefire in Syria

Turkey has agreed to end the military offensive in northern Syria after Kurdish fighters withdraw from a safe zone, US Vice President Mike Pence has said.

The agreement followed negotiations between Pence and Erdogan at the presidential palace in Ankara.

Pence said Ankara would halt its offensive, dubbed Operation Peace Spring, for 120 hours in order to allow YPG militants to withdraw 30 kilometers from the Turkey-Syria border.

Once the withdrawal is complete, “Operation Peace Spring will be halted entirely,” Pence told reporters.

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