Turkey to continue fight against terrorism: Erdoğan

ANKARA- Anadolu Agency

Undaunted, Turkey will continue its fearless struggle against terrorism, said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sept. 13.       

Speaking in Istanbul after Friday prayers, Erdoğan reiterated the country's resolute stance against terrorism in the wake of a PKK terrorist attack on Sept. 13 in the southeastern Diyarbakır province which took the lives of seven civilians and injured nine others.       

Voicing support for the many mothers in Diyarbakır staging sit-in protests against the terrorist PKK abducting and trying to recruit their children, he said the current number of protesters may swell to the thousands.   

Another family joins protest against PKK’s child recruitment

Turning to regional affairs, Erdoğan also said that at a trilateral summit next Monday with Russian and Iranian leaders, he would discuss recent developments in Idlib, Syria -- about 400 miles (250 miles) from Diyarbakır, across Turkey's southern border.       

“We will continue to discuss developments in Idlib, including observation posts and the fight against terror organizations,” he said.       

Turkey and Russia agreed last September to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.       

Under the deal, opposition groups in Idlib would remain in areas where they were already present, while Russia and Turkey would carry out joint patrols in the area to prevent a resumption of fighting.       

The Syrian regime and its allies, however, have consistently broken the terms of the cease-fire, launching frequent attacks inside the de-escalation zone.       

Asked about a recent joint helicopter flight between Turkey and the U.S. for a planned safe zone east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria, Erdoğan underlined Ankara's concerns over Washington's attitude towards the YPG terrorist organization.       

"We attach great importance to the U.S.'s attitude towards the PYD/YPG terror group. We haven't seen the attitude we want yet," Erdoğan told reporters.       

Erdoğan said that he would discuss the issue with U.S. President Donald Trump at the U.N. General Assembly in New York later this month.