Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised to increase his country’s presence in Syria during an address to supporters on Sunday, according to Agence France-Presse.
“Turkey will launch additional offensives like Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations to clear its border of terror organizations in the new era,” Erdogan said.
Turkey began military operations in Syria in August 2016, when Turkish forces entered the country in order to fight ISIS terrorists in the region.
In January 2018, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch in Afrin in an attempt to destroy Kurdish YPG units. Turkey considers the YPG to be a terrorist organization linked to another Kurdish group that has conducted attacks inside the Turkish border.
Erdogan vowed that Turkey “would never give up its fight against terror,” however, he offered no clues as to when the new offensive might occur, or where. According to a story by AFP, some sources say that Erdogan’s next offensive may see Turkish forces cross over into Iraq.
Many experts believe this latest declaration is an attempt by Erdogan to cash in on the recent rise of Turkish nationalism before the snap elections in June of this year.
During the speech, Erdogan also discussed his plans to increase economic prosperity and improve the Turkish economy.