Türkiye to close 300-km border gap with Syria

Türkiye will take additional measures to close the 30-kilometre gap on the border with Syria where terrorism threats are coming from, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on December 26.

"To eliminate the threat of terrorism coming from Syria we will take new measures to close the 30-kilometre security zone," he said, TASS reports.

Earlier, Erdogan announced Ankara’s plans to launch a land operation in northern Syria.

According to Turkish media, the new operation will allow to gain control of a 600-kilometre section of the border with Syria and minimize terrorist threats coming from the neighbouring country. Ankara sees the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and its Syrian arm, the People’s Defense Units, as a major threat to its national security. According to military sources, around 50,000 Turkish soldiers will be involved in the operation.

As a result of Türkiye's operation in Syria since 2015, a security zone between the cities of Azaz and Jerablus north of Aleppo has been established, and Afrin and border areas east of the Euphrates were taken under control.