Erdogan says Syria's Kurdish forces must lay down arms

ANKARA — Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan urged Kurdish forces in Syrian Kurdistan on Wednesday to disarm and dissolve immediately, warning that failing to do so could lead to further bloodshed.

The call follows a ceasefire agreement with the Syrian government, which gave the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, four days to consider joining the central Syrian state.

Earlier this week, Turkey-backed Syrian government radical Islamist militias presenting themselves as the official Syrian army, took control of large portions of northeast Syria after Kurdish forces withdrew.

The move aligns with interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s strategy to restore full government control across the country.

The United States, which has been a key ally of the SDF, acknowledged a change in its cooperation with the group following the formation of the new Syrian Islamist administration in Damascus.

U.S. officials encouraged Kurdish fighters to integrate into state institutions rather than operate independently.

Turkey views the SDF as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has waged a decades-long insurgency inside Turkey.

Erdogan, speaking to lawmakers from his AK Party, said the ceasefire marked a positive step and expressed hope that full integration of Kurdish forces into the Syrian state would begin a new chapter in the region.

He said, “Our expectation is that this issue will be resolved without more bloodshed. The terrorist organization currently holding some areas in northern Syria must disarm, disband, and cease hostilities. This is the only path forward. Any provocation is a direct risk to themselves.”

On Wednesday, Erdogan also noted a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the situation in Syria, describing the discussion as “productive.” He said they discussed joint operations against Islamic State fighters in the region.

Domestically, Erdogan urged Kurds in Turkey not to respond to provocations from militants and confirmed that the government’s peace process with the PKK would continue.

A senior PKK official said on Tuesday that Kurdish PKK fighters in Turkey would support their counterparts in Syrian Kurdistan during Damascus’s current military campaign and vowed the group would “never abandon” the Syrian Kurds.

For millennia, Kurds have inhabited Greater Kurdistan, which includes a huge parts of southeastern Turkey, northern Syria, northern Iraq, and western Iran, dating back to before Christ and long before Turks arrived in the area. Many analysts say for Turkey “a good Kurd is a dead Kurd“.

(With files from Reuters | Agencies)