Written Submission regarding “Operation Olive Branch”

from the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in London

for “Kurdish aspirations and the interests of the UK” Inquiry

Turkey is currently fighting a number of terrorist organizations that present risk and threat to its national security. Turkey’s resolve to fight against these terrorist organizations is firm. It is with this understanding that the Republic of Turkey has given its full support to all international efforts to this end since day one.

Successfully concluding the Operation Euphrates Shield last year, Turkey cleared its borders with Syria from DEASH, liberated an area of 2.015 km2 and established a safe haven free of terror, enabling the displaced Syrians to return.

However, the terrorism threat from Syria targeting Turkish borders has not yet ended. Turkey cannot tolerate the presence of any terrorist element at its borders. The presence of these terrorist organizations have begun to threaten Turkey’s national security as well as the security of its borders.

The threat posed by the PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG terrorist elements deployed in the Afrin region, to the lives and property of the brotherly people of the region as well as Turkish citizens living close to the border area, is heightened due to the recent increase in the number of harassment fires and attacks.

Since the beginning of 2017, Hatay and Kilis provinces of Turkey as well as the Turkish military posts and bases in the region and the military observation posts in Idlip have been targeted from Afrin with almost 700 harassment fires and attacks so far. Turkish Armed Forces’ border posts are constantly under the attack of terrorist organizations in Afrin.

There is also the risk of DEASH elements, which have come from other parts of Syria and nested in the Afrin region, attacking Turkey and border regions, and transiting to Europe through Turkey.

The presence of terrorist groups in Afrin, where the regime has no effective control, also threatens the territorial integrity of Syria.

Against this backdrop, on 20 January 2018, the Turkish Armed Forces launched “Operation Olive Branch”. 

The objective of this operation is to ensure Turkey’s border security, neutralize terrorists in Afrin and thus, save Syrians from the oppression and cruelty of these terrorists. 

The operation is carried out on the basis of the international law, in accordance with the right to self-defense as outlined in Article 51 of the UN Charter and the relevant Security Council resolutions 1373(2001), 1624(2005), 2170(2014) and 2178(2014) and in full respect of Syria’s territorial integrity.

Turkey has immediately and duly taken the necessary steps to inform the international community of the operation and of its background, goals and legal basis.

NATO Council and the Secretary-General have been informed about the operation on multiple occasions.

The UN Secretary General and the President of the UN Security Council were informed immediately in writing.

Likewise, Turkey also communicated a verbal note to the Syrian Consulate General in İstanbul.

Ambassadors of Permanent Members of the UN Security Council as well as Syria’s other neighbours and a number of regional countries were accordingly briefed in Ankara about the operation. 

During the planning and execution phases of the operation, only the mentioned terrorist elements and their hideouts, shelters, emplacements, weapons, vehicles and equipment are targeted.

All precautions are taken to avoid collateral damage to the civilian population. There have been no civilian casualties in the operation area to date.

However, PYD/YPG is running a disinformation campaign with visual material shot in different times and locations, claiming that civilians are killed.

On the contrary, PYD/YPG has organized numerous attacks to Kilis and Hatay provinces, killing and injuring many of Turkish citizens. They even targeted a mosque, in which people were praying at the time.

PYD/YPD has shown its disregard of the lives of civilians by using them as human shields.

PYD/YPG has also begun to recruit members of DEASH.

Arabs, Kurds and Turkmens who were forced to flee their homes in Afrin by terrorists fully support the operation. As a matter of fact, some of the local population is now returning to the towns liberated from the terrorists.

Turkey is providing continuous humanitarian aid to the region in order to prevent civilian suffering. Relevant Turkish authorities are also establishing camps in Idlib and Azaz as a precaution for potential population movements.

Following the launch of the operation, demonstrations and acts of violence by PKK terrorists and symphatizers in various European countries to protest the operation once again prove the organic connection between PKK and PYD/YPG.

This operation demonstrates that Turkey will not tolerate any terrorist organization finding a safe haven in this region of vital importance for her national security, and as such will not consent to the pursuit of unilateral agendas that are against the will of the Syrian people.

Turkey’s effort will also contribute to the territorial integrity and unity of Syria.

Turkey will continue to support the implementation of a transition period which will introduce a real political change in the country that will reflect the will of the people and bring stability, peace and security to Syria.

Turkey is calling upon its allies to display solidarity with Turkey both for the operation and the fight against PYD/YPG. Turkish Government expects them to refrain from steps which could put them in a position supportive of terrorist organizations.

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