ANKARA (Dispatches) – The Turkish military reportedly plans to construct two new military facilities in the northern part of war-ravaged Syria, as the Ankara government is making efforts to flush out members of the U.S.-backed Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militant group from areas close to its border.
The Arabic-language Enab Baladi news website reported that the two bases are believed to be built near Deir Balut and al-Ghazawiyah crossings, which connect the northern regions of Aleppo province to neighboring Idlib province.
The crossings link the regions occupied by Turkish-backed militants from the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) to the areas controlled by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham Takfiri terrorists.
A top FSA member told Enab Baladi that Turkish forces have been stationed in the district where these two military bases are expected to be built, but the construction has not started yet.
He went on to note that it remains unclear whether Turkey intends to establish permanent or temporary bases there.
The high-ranking militant said that the main reason behind constructing the military facilities is apparently to monitor the departure of HTS members from the areas under the control of FSA terrorists.
Marsad80 website, which is affiliated with the Syrian opposition groups, also reported that Turkey is building the bases with the aim of preventing further conflicts in the region.
Turkey has deployed forces in Syria in violation of the Arab country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Ankara-backed militants were deployed to northeastern Syria in October 2019 after Turkish military forces launched a long-threatened cross-border invasion in a declared attempt to push members of the US-backed YPG militant group away from border areas.
Ankara views the 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.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other senior officials have said Damascus will respond through all legitimate means available to Turkey’s ongoing ground offensive.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already stated that a new Turkish operation against the YPG militants will remain on the agenda until security concerns are addressed.
Both Iran and Russia, which have been aiding Damascus in its anti-terror campaign, have warned Turkey against launching such an offensive.