Erdogan says YPG ‘will be buried’ in Syria if it doesn’t lay down arms

The Turkish leader pledged to 'eradicate the terrorist organisation', referring to the YPG militia [File: Ahmad al-Rubaye/Reuters]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that Kurdish fighters in Syria will either lay down their weapons or “be buried”, amid hostilities between Turkiye-backed Syrian rebels and other armed groups since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month.

Following al-Assad’s ouster on December 8, Ankara has repeatedly insisted that the Kurdish YPG militia must disband, asserting that the group has no place in Syria’s future.