Terror not allowed on Turkish borders: Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Ankara will not allow any manner of terrorist activities on or close to its borders.

Erdogan made the remarks while addressing thousands of his supporters during the “Unity, Solidarity, and Brotherhood” rally held in Turkey’s southeastern Gaziantep province on Sunday.

"We will make any kind of contribution to the work to clear Daesh from Syria," he said. "For the issue of the PYD (Democratic Union Party) terror group in Syria, we have just the same determination," he added referring to the main pro-Kurdish party active in northern Syria and its People's Protection Units (YPG) forces.

He added, Turkey is "ready and determined” to purge the region of terrorist groups and that “our operations against terrorist organizations will continue until the end."

Erdogan stressed that battling terror is the reason behind Turkey’s presence in the Syrian town of Jarablus. “If necessary, we will not hesitate to take responsibility in other regions." 

His visit to Gaziantep comes after the city was hit by a deadly bombing attack last weekend which claimed the lives of some 55 people at an outdoor wedding.   

Earlier in the day, around 40 civilians were killed and some 75 more injured after Turkish artillery fire and airstrikes targeted a village in Syria’s Aleppo province.   

SS