ANKARA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye will assist the Syrian army if requested, the country's Defense Ministry said on Thursday, as fighting between the Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) entered its third day.
"Our country supports Syria's struggle against terrorist organizations on the basis of its unity and territorial integrity, in line with the principle of 'One State, One Army.' In this context, if Syria requests assistance, Türkiye will provide the necessary support," Turkish Defense Ministry Spokesperson Zeki Akturk said at a press conference.
"Syria's security is our security," the spokesperson said, adding that Türkiye is closely monitoring developments on the ground.
Türkiye sees the U.S.-backed SDF, which controls large parts of northeastern Syria, as a terrorist organization. Ankara argues that the SDF is dominated by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which it considers an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) -- a group that has waged an armed campaign against the Turkish state since 1984.
The latest clashes in Aleppo erupted on Tuesday after efforts to implement the March 2025 agreement on integrating the SDF into Syrian state institutions and the national army stalled.
Over the past two days, drone strikes, shelling, sniper fire, and heavy weapons exchanges broke out between Syrian government forces and units linked to the SDF in the predominantly Kurdish neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh in northern Aleppo. At least a dozen people were killed, and dozens more were injured, while thousands were evacuated, as both sides traded accusations over responsibility for the violence and the endangerment of civilians. ■
