Türkiye ‘literally defeated’ Daesh terror group, thwarted efforts to relaunch group, Erdogan says
President and Leader of ruling Justice and Development (AK Party) Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech as he attends his party's 8th Ordinary Provincial Congress at Hayri Gur Indoor Sports Hall in Trabzon, Türkiye, Jan. 05, 2025. (AA Photo)
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared on Sunday that Türkiye has “literally defeated” the Daesh terror group, stating that recent efforts to relaunch the group as a tool for regional manipulation had been thwarted.
Speaking at the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) 8th Ordinary Provincial Congress in Trabzon, Erdogan emphasized Türkiye’s “significant success in the strategy of decisively eliminating terrorism at its source.”
He highlighted Ankara’s counterterrorism operations, which he said have removed the terror group PKK’s extension in Syria, the YPG/PKK, from Türkiye’s borders.
Goal of ‘terror-free’ Türkiye
“We will undoubtedly achieve our goal of a terror-free Türkiye, where conflict, violence, and instability are completely a thing of the past, through unity and solidarity,” he vowed.
“The era of relying on weapons, violence, terrorism, and playing the game of canton dreams backed by imperialists has now completely come to an end,” Erdogan said, stressing the importance of preventing plans of division within the nation.
He added, “We will not allow new walls to be erected between us and our brothers and sisters with whom we have shared the same land and lived side by side for a thousand years.”
Türkiye has long taken measures to counter the activities of terror groups in northern Syria, especially near the Turkish border, including Daesh and the PKK/YPG terror group.
The PKK — listed as a terror organization by Türkiye, the U.S., and the EU — has waged a 40-year campaign against Türkiye, responsible for over 40,000 deaths, including women, children, and the elderly.
The YPG, the PKK’s offshoot in Syria, has sought to establish a terror corridor along the Turkish border, posing a direct threat to Türkiye.
In recent years, Türkiye has deployed troops and worked with local allies, such as the Syrian National Army, to eliminate these threats and protect civilians from terrorist oppression.
