Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler says that the Turkish military has no intention of withdrawing from either Iraq or Syria irrespective of what agreements have been reached by other factions within those countries.
There had been speculation, particularly with respect to Syria, that the most recent deal between the Syrian government and the Kurdish SDF ended the need for Turkish troops to be inside Syrian territory. Guler was quick to dismiss that idea.
“The decision to withdraw from there belongs to the Republic of Turkey. It will not take into account what others say,” he insisted. Turkey had long justified their presence in Syria as meant to keep the Kurds away from Afrin and other parts of northern Syria.
Turkish DM Yasar Guler | Image is Public Domain
Turkey has been aligned with the self-proclaimed Syrian National Army (SNA) faction, which regularly attacked the Kurdish SDF until recently. Turkey participated in the attacks at times, but generally through air support.
Turkey does not disclose the size of their military presence inside Syria. Reports have generally put it around 10,000 troops, though Turkish media has at times suggested it was as many as 20,000.
The Iraq deployment is believed to be substantially smaller, though similarly doesn’t operate on much of any specific pretext. Guler noted that his comments on not withdrawing from Syria similarly applied to Turkish troops in Iraq.
