President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday signaled that a Turkish military operation against Kurdish forces in the northwestern Syrian town of Afrin could be imminent, as he traveled to Russia to discuss the Syrian conflict with Vladimir Putin.
U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters are reported to have returned to Afrin after defeating Islamic State militants in their stronghold of Raqqa last month. Ankara considers them a terrorist force with links to the PKK, which has long battled for autonomy in Turkey’s southeast. Turkish control of Afrin would prevent the Kurds from linking enclaves they hold.
