Plans by U.S.-backed Kurdish groups to conduct local elections in northern Syria are “unacceptable” and a threat to Turkey’s national security, Turkey’s defense minister said Monday.
Turkey considers the move as a step by Syrian Kurdish groups toward the creation of a separate Kurdish entity across its borders. Ankara accuses the Syrian Kurdish groups of ties to a banned Kurdish militant organization.
In a written reply to questions from The Associated Press, Yasar Guler reiterated Turkey’s commitment to establishing a secure corridor along its borders with Syria and Iraq to counter the threat posed by Kurdish militants.
A Kurdish-led autonomous administration that controls northern and eastern parts of Syria has announced plans to hold municipal elections June 11. The vote to choose mayors will be held in the provinces of Hassakeh, Raqqa, Deir el-Zour and the eastern part of Aleppo province.