Syria Turkmen voice support for possible Turkey army op

By Mehmet Toktas

HATAY, Turkey

Mohamed Wajeeh Jumaa, head of the Syrian Turkmen Assembly, said Friday that Syria’s Turkmen would provide “full support” to a possible Turkish military campaign east of the Euphrates River.

"The people of the region want this operation to be carried out immediately,” he said.

“The words of President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan -- 'We can come suddenly in the night' -- are a source of hope for our people, who don't want to live under PKK tyranny and are waiting to be liberated," Jumaa added.

Asserting that the anticipated operation would deal a death blow to a planned “terrorist corridor” near the Turkish border, he said: "It would begin in Manbij, and -- hopefully -- result in a clear victory east of the Euphrates."

Jumaa went on to say that the people of the region sought to live in freedom, “like those residing in areas liberated earlier by Turkey's Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations”.

According to Jumaa, Washington announced its decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria after it realized it had sided with the "wrong partner".

"A terrorist corridor had been planned for the region,” he said. “While the PKK terrorist group was the [plan’s] mastermind, the U.S. had been its greatest supporter.”

“And while this terrorist group poses a security threat to Turkey, it is also a threat to Syria’s territorial integrity," he added, declaring that Syrian Turkmen hoped to fight “in the frontlines” in any future battle with the PKK.

Noting that those affiliated with the Assad regime and the PYD/YPG (the PKK’s affiliate in Syria) sought to discredit the planned Turkish campaign before it even began, he said: “Turkish troops based in the region have intervened and spoiled their game.”

According to Jumaa, the Free Syrian Army is “ready to fight side by side” with the Turkish armed forces, first with a view to liberating Syria’s Manbij before moving on to areas east of the Euphrates River.

*Ali Murat Alhas contributed to this report from Ankara