Turkey threatens military operation against Syrian Kurdish fighters

ISTANBUL, Turkey

Turkey threatened Tuesday to launch a military operation against Kurdish forces in Syria unless they accepted Ankara's conditions for a "bloodless" transition after the fall of strongman president Bashar al-Assad.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan meets new Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus 

"We will do what's necessary" if the People's Protection Units (YPG) fail to meet Ankara's demands, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told CNNTurk television. Asked what that might entail, he said: "Military operation".

Assad's overthrow by Islamist-led rebels last month raised the prospect of Turkey intervening directly in the country against Kurdish forces accused by Ankara of links to armed separatists.

Ankara accuses the YPG -- seen by the West as essential in the fight against Islamic State jihadists -- of links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Turkey.

The PKK has fought a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state and is listed as a terrorist organisation by Ankara and its Western allies.

"Those international fighters who came from Turkey, Iran and Iraq must leave Syria immediately. We see neither any preparation nor any intention in this direction right now and we are waiting," Fidan said.

"The ultimatum we gave them (the YPG) through the Americans is obvious," he added.

Since 2016, Turkey has carried out successive ground operations in Syria to push Kurdish forces away from its border.

The foreign minister also said Turkey had the capability to take over the management of prisons and detention camps holding IS jihadists in Syria if the new leadership was unable to do so.

"Our president gave the instruction that if others cannot do it, Turkey will keep control (of the camps) with its own soldiers. As Turkey, we are ready for this," Fidan said.