Fight against terrorist group ISIS growing stronger: Turkish president

ISTANBUL

The fight against the terrorist group ISIS (Daesh) is growing stronger and more determined, with the roots of all terrorism in the region being eradicated, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday.

“Once the separatist terrorist threat in northern Syria is completely eliminated, not only the Syrian people but the entire region will find relief," Erdogan said at a key-delivery ceremony for newly built houses in Türkiye’s Aydin province.

He stressed that a unified, secure, and stable Syria will benefit all of its communities.

Erdogan said that under President Ahmad Al-Sharaa’s leadership, and with Türkiye’s strong support, Syria is rapidly recovering after 13.5 years of conflict, with security and stability returning as terrorist groups are gradually driven out by the Syrian Army.

Kurds, once denied even basic citizenship, are now becoming full and equal members of the new Syria, while Turkmens are taking on key roles in governance, he said and added that Türkiye is seeing the rewards of standing on the right side of history and honoring faith and good neighborly relations, as people across cities like Aleppo, Hama, Homs, Afrin, and Idlib speak positively about Türkiye and offer their prayers, with hopes for an even better future.

“The winners of a united, whole, and secure Syria will be Arabs, Turkmens, Kurds, Alawites, Druze, Christians, and all other Syrian citizens,” he added.

Erdogan said that polarization and division would bring nothing but suffering, both to themselves and to the region, and that tensions based on ethnic identity and sectarianism would only lead to sorrow and tears across their lands.

On global politics, Erdogan said debates at this week’s World Economic Forum meeting in Davos indicate that Türkiye’s long-standing criticisms of the global system are increasingly resonating in the Western world.

He added that the international order established after World War II is fundamentally eroding, warning that the world is moving toward a structure in which the rule of force is overtaking the rule of law.

Erdogan also noted that countries long accustomed to stability and comfort are now, for the first time, facing harsh realities, adding that challenges Türkiye has dealt with for years are beginning to affect them as well.