Turkey Top Brass Meets on Kurdish Rebels in Syria
Turkey's top brass held talks Wednesday about the activities of Kurdish rebels in Syria, after press reports that they were in control of several northern areas of the conflict-torn nation.
"The latest developments in Syria, the activities of the terrorist separatist group in our country and in neighboring countries were discussed at the meeting," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office said.
"Supplementary measures to be taken in all domains regarding our national security were discussed," it said in a statement after the meeting grouping top security, military and political officials.
It did not elaborate on the possible security measures.
The Turkish press has reported that parts of northern Syria have fallen into the hands of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) or its Syrian branch the Democratic Union Party (PYD).
The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey and much of the international community, took up arms for Kurdish independence in southeastern Turkey in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed some 45,000 lives.
The Turkish press accuses the Syrian regime of entrusting its northern border zones to the PKK to enable them to operate more freely and to fuel the separatist aspirations of Turkish Kurds.
Ankara, a one-time Damascus ally, has become a vehement critic of the Syrian regime since President Bashar Assad's forces unleashed a crackdown against dissent in March last year.
The head of the umbrella opposition group the Syrian National Council said earlier this week that Syrian forces had "entrusted" the northern region to the PKK or the PYD and then withdrawn.
"The Kurdish people are not on the side of these groups, they're on the side of the rebellion," said Abdel Basset Sayda, himself a Kurd.
Kurds represent around nine percent of Syria's 23 million population.
Source: Agence France Presse
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