Ankara won’t let fait accompli in Syria’s north: Defense chief

ANKARA

Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler has denounced the PYD/YPG terrorist group’s latest election attempts in northern Syria, asserting that Ankara will not tolerate any fait accompli in the region.

The PKK's Syrian branch, PYD/YPG, recently called for a so-called local election in northeastern Syria to gain legitimacy. The terror group initiated the campaigns east of the Euphrates, with the initial date set for May 30, but later postponed to June 11.

The campaign of the so-called local elections is unacceptable in terms of Syria's territorial integrity, Güler told daily Milliyet.

The terrorist organization's conduct of elections will have adverse effects on maintaining peace and stability in the region, he added.

“I reiterate once again that we will not allow any fait accompli in violation of our national security and the territorial integrity of our neighbors,” the defense minister said.

Speaking about the cooperation between the U.S. and PKK/YPG in Syria under the pretext of fighting the ISIL, the minister noted that this partnership is incompatible with the spirit of alliance and jeopardizes the territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria.

"If the goal is to combat ISIL, cooperation should be with allies, not terrorists, and we have always expressed our readiness for that. We are the ones who fought side by side with ISIL, neutralizing thousands of the most radical ISIL terrorists and liberating Syria from ISIL,” Güler said.

Last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that Turkish forces killed the leader of ISIL, code-named Abu Hussein al-Qurayshi, during an operation in Syria.

On May 30, a senior U.S. official asserted that Syria's northeast fails to ensure "fair, free and transparent” election conditions, in a rebuke to the YPG terrorist group's recent attempts to hold local polls in the region.