IDLIB — Following a spate of rocket attacks in areas of northern Syria under the control of Turkish-backed groups, Ankara is telling its Syrian opposition allies to prepare for a military operation against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurdish-led group Turkey says is behind the strikes. 

On Oct. 11, just a day after a missile attack on a Turkish military patrol killed two Turkish soldiers near the town of Marea, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a Cabinet meeting his country is “fed up” with these attacks and “determined to eliminate the threats originating” from northern Syria.

The sentiment was echoed days later by Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusolgu, who called out Russia and the United States for what he claimed was their failure to implement agreements to withdraw Kurdish forces from the Turkish-Syrian border. “Since Russia and the US failed to honor their commitments, we must rely on ourselves and do what should be done,” the top diplomat said at an Oct. 13 press conference. 

On Oct. 15, Reuters cited two Turkish officials as saying Ankara is ready for the possibility of launching new military action against Kurdish fighters in the event of the failure in talks Erdogan plans to hold with his US and Russian counterparts on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Italy at the end of October.