Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday underscored Turkey’s strategic goal to eliminate the Kurdish YPG militia in Syria, a group that has been the United States’ main partner in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS). 

During a live broadcast on NTV, Fidan stated that “the elimination of YPG is [Turkey’s] strategic goal.” Defense Minister Güler further elaborated, stressing Turkey’s position that the YPG must disarm and its foreign members must leave Syria, paving the way for potential integration into future Syrian security forces. 

“It is out of the question for the Syrian people, or the new administration, or us to allow the PKK/YPG terrorist organization to act alone and create space for itself,” Güler said, referring to the group Turkey considers an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the European Union.

The comments follow Secretary Antony Blinken’s visit to Ankara earlier in the week, where discussions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Fidan focused heavily on the Kurdish issue. 

Turkey has long urged the U.S. to reconsider its military partnership with the YPG, which forms the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF, supported by U.S. forces, played a pivotal role in defeating ISIS and continues to guard thousands of captured ISIS fighters in SDF-run detention camps across northern Syria.

Turkey asserts that the YPG’s control over northern Syria poses a direct threat to its national security, citing frequent clashes between Turkish forces and Kurdish militias.