Turkey to establish 30km 'security zone' inside Syrian territory: Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Turkey is establishing a 30km security zone within Syrian territory, reported Anadolu Agency. 

"Our security area comprises of the area 30 kilometres inwards from the border to our south. We don't want to be disturbed in this security area," Turkish state news outlet Anadolu Agency reported Erdogan saying at a Justice and Development Party (AKP) meeting.

Yesterday, Erdoğan reiterated his determination to form a 30km-deep 'security zone' in Syria, & confirmed Tel Rifaat & Manbij as the 2 targets of a coming ground invasion. He further said "we will do the same to other regions step-by-step." pic.twitter.com/YrVD0ipMwU

— Rojava Information Center (@RojavaIC) June 2, 2022

Turkey has for weeks threatened to invade parts of northern Syria currently under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), vowing to root out ‘terrorists’ and create a buffer zone along the Syrian-Turkish border.

Turkish forces are targeting the fighters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Ankara considers a terrorist group. They are also threatening to launch an operation against the People's Protection Units (YPG), a Syrian-Kurdish group it considers to be part of the PKK.

At the meeting, according to Anadolu Agency, Erdogan also reportedly reiterated Ankara’s stance on Finland and Sweden joining NATO which his government accuses of supporting Kurdish ‘terror groups.’

“The whole world should know this. NATO countries should know first that NATO is not an organization that will provide terrorist security,” he said. Finland and Sweden officially applied to join NATO on 18 May, and require the approval of all of the organisation’s member states, including Turkiye.