Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Tuesday that Turkey has the power and ability to "crush" all terrorists in Syria, including "Islamic State" and Kurdish fighters, while calling on all countries to "take their hands off" Syria, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad last month, Turkey has repeatedly said that it is time for the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia to disband. The SDF, which leads the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey.
Ankara has said the new Syrian administration must be given the opportunity to deal with the SDF's presence, but has threatened to launch a new cross-border operation against the Kurdish militia based in northeastern Syria if its demands are not met.
In a speech to parliament on Monday, Erdogan said the SDF was the biggest problem in Syria now and added that the group would not be able to avoid its inevitable end unless it lays down its arms.
"As for fabricated excuses like "Islamic State", they are no longer convincing," Erdogan said, referring to the US position that the SDF is a key partner in the fight against "Islamic State" in Syria and plays a vital role in guarding prison camps where Islamist fighters are held.
"If there is truly a fear of the threat of "Islamic State" in Syria and the region, the greatest power that has the will and the power to resolve this issue is Turkey," he said.
"Everyone should take their hands off Syria and we, together with our Syrian brothers and sisters, will crush the heads of "Islamic State", the SDF and other terrorist organizations in a short time," Erdogan added.
Turkey has repeatedly urged its NATO ally the United States to stop supporting the SDF and says the new administration in Syria has offered to take over the management of prisons.